


Songbird

by NeonColourSky



Series: Songbird [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Baggage, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Mutual Pining, Pre-Fall of Overwatch, Slow Burn, Song Lyrics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-23
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2020-12-31 18:10:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 39,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21149999
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeonColourSky/pseuds/NeonColourSky
Summary: Running from Talon, you find refuge in a small inn, only to have your past follow you until all you can do is sing for mercyAnd an angel answers your song





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was something i started a few months ago based on some daydreams (and inspired by some other fanfics i read on here) but i wanted to do my own take on it simply because... who doesn't love mutual pining and slow burn with Reyes... I feel like the rating may change after a while....
> 
> Each chapter will have a song and I'll make sure to put the title of the song in the notes at the end of each chapter

Darkness. All you could see was darkness. The aching muscles in your body slowly grew into a sharp pain and wetness. The smell of asphalt and dust permeated the air as you tried to breathe...To live…

A single hand touched your shoulder, causing you to jolt in shock. It pulled you from the rubble and you were suddenly plagued with dizziness, no longer able to process what was happening. Stuck in a thick fog of confusion, all became black.

***

Tuesday afternoon. The inn was normally quiet at this time, especially since most people refrained from drinking heavily in daylight, even more so during weekdays. The light of the sunset filtered in as your smooth voice filled the room with a calming melody. 

“How you manage to sing so beautifully, I will never understand.” Finn, the bartender, and the keeper of the tiny inn, managed to pipe up above the music as you stopped.

“I told you, I’m full of secrets and I’m not about to open my treasure trove for you to loot. Even if you did save my life.” You smiled at the innkeeper’s attempt to boost your ego.

“Oh c’mon Wren, you’re so full of secrets you’re gonna burst at the seams if you keep hoarding them like a dragon hoarding gold.” You and Finn laughed in unison, both knowing that you were full of secrets that you wouldn’t tell anyone in the world, not even each other.

“Well I’m mighty fine sitting on this giant horde of golden secrets.” you laughed, getting off stage to get behind the bar once more. Meanwhile, Finn went to check and order stock. The night was still young and both of you had plenty of time to tease each other about your mysterious lives outside of the little inn, but why do the same song and dance over and over again when you can mix it up?

“Hey Finn,” You called out and smirked, “So when are you gonna get married, old man? You’re getting old enough to be my grandad .”

“You’re the one who should be having children right now pipsqueak. I'm a perfectly happy bachelor. The married life ain’t for me pumpkin.” Finn’s reply had a sombre tone to it, as if he was carefully trying not to reveal too much.

“Sounds like you have damned yourself into a life of loneliness.”

“I’m not lonely if I have the people here. I am content living the rest of my life away in this dirty old hell hole, because at least it's my dirty little hell hole.”

The ringing of the customer bell meant you two were no longer alone in your Tuesday banter as a group of 4 sauntered in looking rugged and relatively battered. Soldiers with scars and battle-worn clothing, fresh off the battlefield.

“Gabriel Reyes, in the flesh... right here in front of me... How have you been dude? You barely even call, let alone visit, to what do I owe the pleasure, old friend?” Finn seemed almost too happy as he embraced the battle-hardened man in the centre of the group, towering in the room like giants. 

“Finn! I’ve missed ya buddy. Overwatch has been running us all to the ground and after we managed to destroy a shit ton of scum down in Dorado, we thought we deserved a drink today. What do you guys say?” Gabe’s voice was deep and commanding. The voice of a leader who runs his team into the ground but would still fight an army of one hundred just to save the life of one of his soldiers.

“Sure thing Gabe. I have some calls to make so that I get restocked on various things, so Wren here will serve ya. Don’t be too scared Wren, they’re giant puppy dogs really.” Finn joked as he disappeared once more.

“Well Gentlemen, what will today’s orders be then?” Despite the cheerful tone, you were shaking furiously. It wasn't fear by any means, Finn had gotten rid of all of that, and yet you couldn't stop shaking and stealing glances at the commander as he smiled all his problems away with his soldiers.

“So, your name is Wren, right? What brings a pretty girl like you to a dump like this?” One of the soldiers, a guy in a cowboy hat with mutton chops and a shit-eating smirk on his face, quipped before getting shouldered in the ribs by his commanding officer.

“Excuse him, he’s still learning some fucking manners,” Gabe replied as he looked at the girl walking back with their drinks, hoping to get an answer from her regardless.

“It’s alright, I don’t expect tacky looking cowboys to have the most forward thinking views,” you giggled before turning back to the commander, a gleam of curiosity shining in his eyes. For some reason, you felt compelled to answer as if his voice could coax any secrets out of you. “Finn found me after I collapsed near this inn. I don’t remember my family or even my name but he gave me the name Wren after the bird. As much as I disliked it, after I saw what a wren looked like, it grew on me.” you lied. You knew exactly how you ended up here and what happened to you. The scars on your neck remind you daily.

“Interesting… so you don’t have any family, friends or even acquaintances? Your life has just been this inn since you woke up?” The small talk had quickly turned into an interrogation as you tried to think of an answer that wouldn’t reveal all your secrets to a stranger.

“I guess not.”

……

_ I know the world’s a broken bone, but melt your headaches, call it home _

Your voice filled the packed inn as the Friday rush had started. Finn and another part timer had their hands full as the room was filled with rowdy customers enjoying the Friday night feeling. Slowly, you reached to rub your neck to find that one spot with a scar from an incision. Instantly, the voice that filled the room became magical as it soothed the crowd. Men with insomnia suddenly felt sleepy, those with stiff muscles and aching pains finally began to untense their weary forms. The room had relaxed fully enough to enjoy the calming atmosphere that had formed as they drank away in a happier stupor than they were previously. As the song finished, you pressed the same part of your neck, the room settling into friendly chatter, and jumped off stage to help with the bar.

“You’re gonna have the whole world flocking to our bar at this rate if you keep up that magic voodoo, darling.” Mason, the 19-year-old part timer with an omnic leg and one hell of a mohawk piped up behind the bar. 

“I know, but I hope it doesn’t come to that… I enjoy the calmness this place has.”

“Well it’s a calmness that you create, guess you reap what you sow huh. Now help me out, there’s customers waiting for drinks you know.” Finn interrupted as he looked towards the two younger workers, slightly peeved at their relaxed nature during happy hour. 

“Aye aye captain!” the two of you sung in perfect unison as you got to work. 

Despite the cheerful attitude and lively atmosphere, you were still plagued by thoughts of Reyes from a few days before. How he held himself and still looked after his soldiers. How he managed to get more secrets from you than even Finn could hope to get. How his aura dominated the room. Maybe it was stupid to fall for a man so powerful, you knew it was stupid. The military would have you in quarantine or in a laboratory, testing, trying to recreate the same abilities. To create an army of songbirds. And yet, your brain was already far gone.

“What did you say to me you little shit?” Your thoughts were broken by a commotion coming from the corner of the room near the tables

“I told you, yer an absolute motherfucker and cheapskate. Who the fucking hell even drinks fruity liqueurs when they’re trying to get drunk. Yer a lightweight motherfucker.”

“Oh not this again,” Finn sighed in disappointment as he turned to you. “I’m sorry Wren, do you mind fixing this whole situation?” 

“Sure thing boss.” 

****

As you broke up the crowd to get to the centre of the commotion, Reyes had entered the venue, his mood visibly improving as he spots you in the middle of the crowd, then dampening as he sees why you're there.

“Hey Gabe, sorry, but we have a bit of a commotion, once it’s sorted I’ll make sure you’re served.” Finn informed him as you started to break the two men apart with one hand, your other reaching for a spot in your neck as you started to sing once again.

_ Cool out, cause baby I don’t think I’m the one for you _

Instantly the men visibly relaxed as they paid attention to your singing. Reyes watched in amazement as the song continued. 

_ Cool out, stay high, stay fresh, play nice. Just cool out  _

_ Cause baby I don’t think I’m the one for you. _

The feud had fully dissolved in front of you. You pressed into your neck once more and backed off, politely apologising and reminding everyone to enjoy themselves.

“So, care to explain what you just did there to make two angry drunks into upstanding citizens and not raging monkeys?” Reyes had a tone of voice about him that sounded like a disapproving dad, yet the shock in it was unmistakable. This is bad. You laughed at his reaction, completely brushing him off. 

“So what will your order for tonight be, commander?”

“I want the answers to my questions.” Your nerves weren’t about to be broken just yet. You smiled innocently at him.

“Ever heard of sirens?”

“You mean the sirens on fire engines and police cars or…”

“No, sirens are mythical creatures who were part bird and part human. They used their voices to lure in unsuspecting sailors to a shipwrecked isle where they would die.” He laughed a hearty laugh as he realised he was getting played, but decided to go along with it.

“So you’re telling me you’re the little birdy that’s gonna sing me to death.” 

“I will be if you don't order something. Now, what would you like, commander?” You spoke, making a fake motion to the back of your neck, feeling triumphant that you managed to avert his questions and get his actual order out from him instead of wasting more time as the customers swarmed in. 

“How about some whiskey on the rocks, with a hint of answering my question.” Snickering, you went and poured out the drink. You needed time to formulate an answer as you were stepping on eggshells by now, trying to be vague enough not to reveal any hidden details.

“One glass of whiskey, and as for your answer I’m afraid it's too expensive for you to afford.”

“Am I not allowed a veterans discount?” At this point, Finn and Mason were done serving customers and were snickering at Gabe’s attempt to get one of your precious secrets.

“Sorry, priceless with a discount is still priceless.” 

“Forget it Gabe, Wren hordes secrets more than she hordes ice cream and blankets.” Finn laughed as Gabe finally aborted his mission.

“Well aren’t you a cruel little devil.” Gabe was smiling at the sweet exchange. Although he wanted answers, he loved the little quips you managed to come up with in order to avoid his questions. He didn’t want to turn this into an investigation after all, though he was curious. Curious and a highly trained black ops agent. He’ll get his answers eventually. You clearly had an effect on him as his curiosity was never this intense, and Finn noticed his small smiles and relaxed demeanor, something quite rare for Gabe these days. 

“In that case, may I request a song from the infamous siren?” You laughed at his compromise but took him up on it.

“You get one request, commander.”

…….

_ But could we burn darlin'? _

_ Like fires in the night _

_ Their eyes shine like gaslight _

_ Their fingers gag my throat _

_ If I could get away,  _

_ I'd do anything to save you and say _

_ Could we burn darlin'? _

_ Like colliding meteorites _

_ They say I'm broken _

_ But I promise I can stay with you awhile… _

The lyrics of the song left your lips, reminding you of a better life. A life reading by the seaside, taking pictures of heart shaped rocks and revelling in the midsummer breeze that would cool you down from the sun’s vicious rays. The pub was nearly empty except for Reyes and Finn intently listening and whispering amongst themselves.

“She’s got a very strange gift, I’ll give her that. Does she really not remember anything?” Reyes quizzed Finn almost like an interrogator. He seemed unfazed, clearly used to his friend and his personality. 

“She doesn’t, or if she does then she definitely won’t tell anyone. I’ve tried getting closer to her to get more information but she won’t share anything with me. Maybe you’ll have more luck with it. She seems to trust you already. Hell, it took a month before she even started talking to me.”

“It doesn’t seem like magic. She presses into her neck whenever she sings to make everyone that hears it relax. If I knew the extent of her power, I could use someone like her in Blackwatch. Even Overwatch wants more interrogators to get confessions out of people we know are criminals but are protected by politics and bureaucracy.”

“She’s scared Gabe. I won’t stop you from trying to recruit her but be careful. I don’t want her to end up the same way I found her.”

“How did you find her?”

***

The evening air was thick with dust as the clouds above were waiting to release their anger in the form of rain and thunder. There was no trace of moonlight, most travellers having stopped and found shelter or avoided travelling that day all together. Finn took out the trash before deciding to lock up for the night, although a bit earlier than usual, when he spotted a shadow walking past the inn, limping slightly and thin enough to almost be purely a skeleton. 

“Hey stranger, you better find a place to stay, a storm is com-” He didn’t get to finish the sentence before the strange shadow collapsed on the floor in a heap. Finn rushed towards them and found a woman, barely alive and severely starved of any nutrients, her hair matted and filled with grime and dust, her clothes not looking any better and her body was cold to the touch. He quickly rushed her in and housed her in a spare room as he went to prepare some water and call ER. 

-

She awoke the next morning, no memory of what had happened or what had gotten her there. For a second, Finn saw the panic in her eyes, like that of a startled animal being hunted. 

“Oh, you’re awake. How do you feel? You were in pretty bad shape when I found you on the street…” Finn was happy to see her awake but was still worried about her malnourished form as he handed her the tray he brought in with a full breakfast on it. She looked at the food in front of her and cautiously sniffed it 

“Here, get your energy up, you look like you haven’t eaten in months.” The girl remained silent as she started to pick away at the various food in front of her. 

“Do you have a name?” The girl shook her head in response to Finn. Although he hadn’t heard her speak, she reminded him of a small bird with a broken wing. 

“Well if you don’t have a name,” Finn started, “ how about I call you Wren, after the songbird.” The girl looked at him slightly shocked but nodded in agreement.

The next day wasn’t any better. Finn had tried to get the girl to speak but she wouldn’t utter a word. He was beginning to think that she had a lot more on her mind than he could comprehend and simply decided to care for her until she was ready to speak. Thankfully, he managed to convince her to see a doctor and after a month of doctor’s appointments and recovery, Finn finally heard her voice one day. He was in the bar cleaning up the glasses when one managed to slip from his grasp and shattered on the floor. While picking up the broken pieces, he managed to cut part of his palm by accident. Getting to the first aid kit, he was met with Wren as she passed by the hallway. Spotting the cut on his palm, Wren spoke the first words she had in over a month.

“You’re hurt. Let me fix it.” Finn was astonished at how small and pure her voice sounded. His shock stopped him from responding. Instead, he kept staring wide-eyed as Wren took his palm into her hand, the other reaching up to the side of her neck to a spot with an incision scar on it as she closed her eyes and began to… sing?

_ But if you close your eyes _

_ Does it almost feel like _

_ Nothing changed at all? _

_ And if you close your eyes _

_ Does it almost feel like _

_ You've been here before? _

The song filled him with a strange soothing sensation, while his cut healed up much faster than humanly possible. Wren pressed the same spot on her neck again and stopped singing.

“There, all better now.” she blushed while Finn kept watching with a look of awe and wonder at what he had just witnessed.

“That was the first time I heard you speak. And that singing… what did you do?” Finn was full of questions but regretted asking every single one as soon as he saw Wren’s face. 

“Sorry… I don’t really want to talk about it. At least your hand is better though.”

*** 

You mopped away at the floors, humming to yourself the same melody that reminded you of home as Finn cleaned up the tables and the bar. The peace and quiet after the storm of Friday night was always the most satisfying to you both. Spending it in silence was almost a tradition by now as you continued your routines to finish up the day.

“Hey Wren, Gabe is gonna take us into town tomorrow so make sure to get an earlier night. Something about wanting to catch up with me, I thought I would bring you along so you’re not lonely in here.” You were startled and mostly unprepared for such a bombshell to be dropped on you so soon. Gabe is fun but the fact that he can potentially get you spilling all your secrets worries you. You tried to find any excuse you could in order to get out of this while you still can. Finn was obviously aware that you were slowly garnering some form of love or adoration for Gabe, and he was more than willing to let it flourish, after all his good friend returned those feelings so it couldn’t hurt.

“Oh… I was going to sit and practice some more songs so I don’t get rusty… and what about the bar opening at 5pm?”

“We should be back before then. You don’t need to practice for at least one day. It’s lovely to hear you practice but you’re overdoing it, don’t you think?”

“I enjoy it. Keeps my mind at ease. But if you are so insistent as to take me along then I won’t decline. I do still owe you for saving my life and letting me stay here indefinitely.” You hoped you successfully masked your fear with excitement. At least you’ll get to snoop on Gabe a little more.

“Please let that go, it was so long ago and you’re practically my family now. I enjoy having you around.” Finn smiled as he finished up, locking up the windows and doors before heading upstairs. “Come on, we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used (in order of first mentioned):  
Panic! At The Disco - Northern Downpour  
Imagine Dragons - Cool Out  
Fearless Vampire Killers - Could We Burn Darling?  
Bastille - Pompeii


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how to describe chapters so lets just say this is a bunch of denial with a touch of sweetness.  
Songs used will be in the notes at the end.

The morning was never anyone’s favourite time of day. Finn managed to pump enough coffee into him to at least be in a semi awake state, whereas you didn’t wake up even if you were physically awake. As morning turned to midday, the two of you were waiting on the last member of your little group to pick you up to a torturous day of socialising and sunlight. Both you and Finn were night owls and working evenings and nights had cemented that lifestyle, Gabe on the other hand was through and through a military man, the kind of person to wake up at 4am just to do push ups until the other soldiers were awake. While waiting, you decided to hole yourself up into your room and take out the guitar and sing. Normally, the songs you sung to customers were the generic type of songs you remember hearing on the radio. Stuff that comes a dime a dozen and never seems to stop. However, your room is your emotional haven, where all your emotions take form and your voice is allowed to roam free and sing to your heart's content, releasing every emotion you had been holding on to that week. 

-

Gabe had arrived slightly early, way too anxious to get to know this mystery siren that he has never seen before. Finn was clearly going to make fun of him for his interest in a girl clearly too young for him, but he wasn’t in love he knew that much. She was simply an interesting person and he was a curious black ops commander. 

“Hey Finn, I’m here. Where is everyone?” Gabe called out as Finn called him upstairs to the inn’s rooms. There were only 5 rooms as the place was more of a pub than an inn, but they still offered accommodation on occasion in case people were caught out in the cold at the wrong time. One of the rooms was permanently occupied by Wren and Gabe instantly recognised which one as he heard the sweet voice and acoustics as soon as he reached the first floor. He walked over to the door slowly and quietly so as to not notify Wren of his presence as he listened in to her emotional singing.

_ Drinking wine and thinking bliss, is on the other side of this _

_ I just need a compass and a willing accomplice _

_ All my doubts that fill my head, are skidding up and down again _

_ Up and down and 'round again, down and up and 'round again. _

The music continued as the emotional ballad got Gabe to think of what Finn said the night before. She’s scarred. That’s when he began rethinking his position of trying to convince her to join Overwatch. She was clearly a vulnerable young girl that got caught up in something that she never should have been involved with and now, this is the closest she can get to family.

“Oh hey Gabe, I thought I told you I was on the second floor, what are you doing here?” Finn interrupted his thoughts as the singing abruptly stopped and a slightly angered Wren opened the door, guitar barely balanced against the bed.

“What the actual hell Gabe? If you’re gonna snoop, at least snoop on criminals instead of unsuspecting citizens. Asshole.” And with that, the door was slammed in Gabe’s face as Finn laughed at the scenario before him.

“I told you, she loves her secrets. You’ve really done it now.” 

“I was only enjoying the music.” Gabe spoke with a guilty tone to his voice, already regretting his decision. “Come on Wren, I was only enjoying your singing. I’ll treat you today so let's get some vitamin D into you.” Gabe apologised as you reluctantly sighed and opened the door.

“You owe me an ice cream sundae, commander.” 

……

The day was relatively mild. The weather wasn’t scorching hot but it was still quite sunny as the remnants of spring were slowly melting away in the first days of summer. Gabe managed to indulge you in a giant sundae from a local dessert cafe as him and Finn began catching up.

“Hard to believe it’s already been 2 years since we last spoke. How have you been holding up since leaving SEP?” Gabe questioned as Finn hissed at the mention of his past. Him and Gabe have been old friends since before the American programme to create super soldiers enlisted either of them, and he regretted signing up just months after doing so. The process was hard on the body and many soldiers died trying to get through it, some coming out with deformities, some becoming disabled because of the carelessness of the programme. Out of one hundred soldiers, only half had completed the process and even fewer were still fit for active duty. The price to pay for power was a high one.

“I decided to forget that part of my past. Start anew so to speak. You seem to be doing well for yourself though, hero of the omnic crisis. Jackie boy seems to have taken the limelight though, unsurprisingly.” You eavesdropped on the conversation as the two seemed to be reminiscing about the good old days.

“Yeah but I have had the luck of getting Blackwatch. Picked up an old deadlock runt with wicked aim and stealth too. Most of our missions would probably be classified as very much illegal.” Gabe laughed as he saw you finish off your sundae, trying and failing at looking inconspicuous as you eavesdropped on their conversation. Not that he minded, he was intrigued about you too. He could train the spying skills into you eventually he thought. 

“You’re still one of the big names to have stopped the omnic crisis, I’d say that's a big achievement.”

“Yeah but no one remembers the team, just one Jack Morrison.” Gabe almost scowled at the mention. He knew it wasn’t true but he couldn’t help his negativity taking control of him in this situation. 

“If you keep thinking like that, you’ll end up looking for an opportunity to be a martyr and only end up dying a villain…” You commented as the two men looked at you surprised. Maybe you shouldn't have mentioned something taboo. 

“I guess you’re right. Then again, how would a girl like you know?” Gabe suddenly turned his attention to the enigma that sat before him licking the remnants of ice cream and chocolate sauce off her spoon.

“I’m afraid that’s classified information, commander.” A shit eating smirk graced your face as you waited for Gabe to fall for your antics.

“I don’t think you should rile Gabe up like that, he might get desperate and actually lock you up in an interrogation room.” Finn laughed as Gabe frowned at both of them for keeping secrets from him. Must be a side effect of living in that damn pub, he thought.

“Let’s go then, while you guys are still in a good enough mood to endure more sunlight.” Gabe laughed as now it was you and Finn groaning in unison at the prospect of more mild heat.

The town was almost as packed as a city now that it was past 2pm on a Saturday, most people enjoying the good weather and weekend off. As a group, you were walking past various clothing shops before you stopped in your tracks. A flower shop selling everything from roses and flowers for various occasions, to houseplants and seeds for vegetables to be grown at home. The place smelled wonderful and disgusting at the same time as the smell of greenery and fertiliser intermingled to create a strange sensory overload. The greenery reminded you of home, of your small little cacti that used to sit at your window. The flowers hanging from the lampposts lining the streets in the summer. The flowers growing in your mother's garden. You walked in almost entranced at the greenery surrounding the place, blissfully unaware that Gabe and Finn stopped in their tracks to follow you in. A small corner of the shop had a shelf of houseplants, from succulents and cacti, to small bonsai trees and flower pots. They were all quite small but You found them endearing as a small bonsai tree on the top shelf caught your eye, the roots of it submerged in damp dirt as the little pot holding it looked like it was overflowing..

“Want a plant friend in your room?” Finn asked, completely serious as he started pulling out his wallet.

“Yeah but I don’t want to bother you. I already owe you so much I can’t ask more from you without feeling guilty.” You turned away to walk out dejected with Finn trying to reassure you that you didn’t need to keep bringing up old debts.

Meanwhile, Reyes stared down the tiny corner as his eyes landed on a small bonsai tree, its branches probably large enough for a small bird to perch on. As Finn and Wren conversed outside, Gabe took the small tree and paid for it.

“It’s ok, I don’t need a house plant. I probably wouldn’t be able to care for it well enough anyway, I can barely take care of myself.” You laughed off, clearly downtrodden at your own lack of income. You shouldn't bother Finn, he is taking care of you and you are lucky he isn't cruel.

“Here.” Gabe passed the large paper bag he was holding to you as you peeked into it.

“Gabe! I can’t accept this, I don’t deserve it.” you cried out startled at the small bonsai inside the bag, although secretly overjoyed.

“Keep it. You don’t have any debts with me and besides, you need to care for it because I sure as hell can’t” Gabe was all too serious and it made you slightly nervous at his tone, almost like if you didn’t take care of the bonsai properly, you would be ripped limb from limb by the man himself. 

“I’ll take good care of it, commander.” you cheered on as you looked happily into the bag once more, the leaves of the bonsai still plump and green, walking ahead of Gabe and Finn in a happy stupor.

“I have never seen her this happy over anything, you sure know how to charm them Gabe.” 

“Shut up. It’s just a gift” Gabe tried acting cool towards Finn’s comments but failed miserably when the blush on his cheeks and the blatant staring gave him away.

“If something were to happen to me, I’d want you to take care of her Gabe. She would undoubtedly follow you as if she were one of your soldiers.” Finn suddenly turned the topic dark as his happiness died down.

“What do you mean if something were to happen to you? You’re her family Finn, she has nothing but you and I definitely cannot replace that.”

“Then if not her family then her partner.” Gabe looked shocked at Finn’s insinuation.

“Finn she can’t be older than her mid twenties. I’m already in my 40s and counting. What you’re suggesting is ridiculous you realise?” Gabe stuttered in his speech as his friend managed to find out the hidden feelings that he was trying not to address.

“Are you so blind as to not see how much she enjoys being around you. She has revealed more information to you in less than a week than she had revealed to me in over a month. She glances at you as if you are the only person in the room worth paying attention too. If anyone else had bought her that bonsai, I highly doubt she would have taken it just like that. I know what she is like Gabe, I have lived with it for months now and I know that your feelings are mutual.” FInn’s monologue had managed to silence Gabe as they continued to walk back to the inn in utter silence except for your soft humming ahead of them. 

A rush of questions started to flood Gabe’s head as to why a young woman like you would even remotely be interested in an old man with a penchant to solve things with his fists rather than his brains. All that went through the window as the smell of pizza wafted past him. 

“Hey guys, you go on ahead to the inn, I’ll stop by and get food. Any requests?” Gabe called out ahead to you and Finn, happy to finally be heading back to your small dank cave you call an inn.

“Nothing too spicy, don’t want the little birdy here to burn her delicate tongue.” Finn teased as you elbowed him in the ribs, careful not to jostle the bonsai too much.

“Alright.” 

Waiting for the pizza took forever but it gave Gabe more time to think. Time he frankly wanted to be filled with anything but thinking about his newfound feelings. Surely he wasn’t falling for you. Surely it was just him mistaking friendship and trust for romantic affection. Surely you would find a man your age soon and get married and live happily ever after like those princesses from the movies he remembered watching as a small child. Walking back to the inn didn’t save him from his thoughts either as he began to piece together everything he felt, from the curiosity to the strange will to protect you to even the small things like smiling whenever you smiled. He wished he didn’t have to deal with this.

“Finn. Wren. Pizza delivery.” 

“Upstairs. Finn went to the post office before it closes to get a package he missed.” you called out, already in your room admiring the little bonsai you unpacked from the brown paper bag.

As Gabe entered the small room he was slightly shocked at the decor. A plain bed with a fluffy blanket and multiple pillows and soft toys, from teddy bears to hamsters resembling round fluffy footballs. The windowsill had been cleared with the lone window providing light to the new bonsai now situated in the middle of the sill. A guitar and piano were pressed against the wall in the corner to the left of the window as to the right was a bedside table. The room itself was tiny but the comfort in it felt wholesome and real. Gabe felt like he would be able to loosen up in this room and make himself melt into thin air. The reed diffuser on the bedside table let out a vanilla scent that almost resembled the smell of vanilla ice cream.

Gabe put the pizzas on the small stand on the other side of the bed as you sat down and stared happily at the new addition to your room before turning to the smell of delicious pizza.

“Five pizzas Gabe?! We aren’t a family of 10, it's just 3 people to feed and yet you bought so much oh my god.” 

“Relax birdy, I’m a super soldier that hasn’t eaten since lunch and Finn is ex-SCP, he could eat a horse and still not be satisfied.”

“So that’s why he goes shopping so often even though the kitchen fridge is large enough to be its own room in the house.” Gabe chortled at the comment as he stuck into his first slice.

“Exactly.”

The meal went by mostly quietly, you were trying not to reveal anything about yourself while thinking of ways to get Gabe to reveal some more of Finn’s dirty little secrets. Finn being ex-SCP made you think though. He was always carrying around large beer kegs without breaking a sweat, and he never needed help with food deliveries either. 

“So are you going to tell me some more secrets about Finn while the old coot is still away dealing with a runaway package?” you questioned carefully as to not seem nosey.

“I will if in exchange you share some of yours.” you pondered the deal, scared to reveal too much. Sure, you could try to outsmart one of the top commanders in Overwatch and risk revealing too much and getting put in a maximum security prison or you could dodge his questions just like you have all day and risk him not revealing dirt on Finn. You were gonna take what you could get..

“Ok fine, but only 1 question and then I want some dirt on Finny.” Gabe laughed as you took his bait. He had plenty of dirt on Finn, most of which he would never dare reveal for fear of his own life. Finn was still a super soldier and could still beat the shit out of Reyes if he so wished, and Reyes knew not to mess with his elder.

“How did you get that…” Gabe vaguely gestured to his throat trying to explain the singing sensation. “That power to make people feel calm.” regret instantly flooded you as your face suddenly turned into a sour expression, trying to avoid answering the question directly by switching the subject mid answer.

“It isn’t just to soothe people. I can make people feel anything i want them to feel. Not just feel but hallucinate. People underestimate the power that sound has over their minds, it’s frightening.” Gabe ignored the fact that Wren just dodged his question. He got something out of her, something akin to an answer to the millions of questions he wanted to ask.You smirked as Gabe seemed to have taken the bait. “Now, tell me some dirt about Finn, an eye for an eye sucker.”

Gabe laughed as he finally was defeated. Or was it your voice. He couldn’t tell the difference but he wasn’t going to push it, after all he was lucky to get one answer out of you and he was not about to try his luck for a second one.

“So you know how Finn is a bachelor right now, if you told him he was going to end up like this in his SCP days then he would have straight up smacked you and called you insane. He was such a ladies man and I swear to you I saw him flirting every day with someone new, male or female. Old Finny loved the attention I tell you,” you and Gabe laughed at Finn’s old flirty days as the sound of the front door reached the first floor, barely audible in the small room you called home through the laughter.

“I’m back, stupid post office didn’t even have the package. I’m gonna have to go to the depot out of town to get it. Thanks a lot Gabe…” Finn mumbled to himself as he heard the giggling coming from upstairs stop and the sound of footsteps come to the staircase, you and Gabe both standing at the top and speaking in almost perfect unison.

“Welcome back, Finn.” 

“Yeah save those welcomes for later, I’m gonna be going out of town on Monday to get that stupid ass package from the depot out of town so I’m afraid Wren, you’re gonna be alone for the day.” you sighed at the thought of running the inn alone. Mondays were never that busy but the thought terrified you nonetheless..

“It’s ok Finn, it’ll just be a day.” the smile on her face trying to calm Finn of his anxiety.

“What’s wrong with being alone for a day Wren? I thought you’d want to get away from the old man.” Gabe tried lightening the mood. 

“He’s good company. Besides, I never know what to do if someone comes in early. Last time Finn left me alone here, he was gone for longer than intended and I had to open the pub myself. Still trying to get over my own anxieties and fears…” You tried not to rant but ended up venting to the one person that could use your vulnerabilities to get to your secrets. You messed up but it was too late to turn back now.

“Don’t worry, I’ll send the cowboy in to look after you. Heard he has a thing for pumpkins not birds though.” Gabe laughed at his own jokes as you and Finn shook your heads at the absurdity.

“Thanks Gabe, but I would rather not have your cowboy friend downing the entire supply of whiskey in one day. I just restocked too.” Finn and Gabe both laughed this time, knowing it was entirely possible as the man had cleared the nearby Overwatch base of all its whiskey in one night previously. Gabe learned his lesson not to leave the cowboy and alcohol unattended.

“Wren, I promise you that I will be back before the bar is set to open. If i’m not then you are not obligated to open the bar without me here.” 

“Thanks Finn.” You cheered up slightly but knew that when it came down to the moment, you would rather open the bar than wait for Finn. It has been a couple months now and you have gotten used to the routines of opening the bar and serving customers. Most of your sadness came from the fact that you would be unable to sing.

“Oh right, Gabe bought us pizza but since you were gone so long we kinda ate most of it. I think there is one left if you feel like cold pizza leftovers.” you laughed as a horrified expression came over Finn’s face.

“You had pizza without me! You traitorous fucks, the both of you.” Finn sounded genuinely hurt as you both burst out laughing at his outburst.

***

_ I've got those jet pack blues _

_ Fight off the light tonight and just stay with me _

_ Honey, don't you leave _

_ Don't you remember how we used to split a drink? _

_ It never mattered what it was _

_ I think our hands were just that close _

_ The sweetness never lasted, no _

Your song filled the pub once more as the Saturday rush showed no signs of fading. Gabe had left a long time ago to look through paperwork, leaving you to your thoughts of laughing with him and Finn. If only every day could be like that. You pressed into your neck once more and channeled all of the feelings from today into singing for once, not caring about the lyrics and solely wanting to share that same feeling. Content and happy, never having to worry about tomorrow or next week. The pub was bustling and laughing the night away when you were done, retreating to behind the bar to help Finn and Mason, who was currently struggling around trying to fulfill 10 orders at the same time. You chuckled.

“Need an extra hand there Mace?”

“Shut up smartmouth and actually do something useful.”

“Oh just for that, I’m gonna work extra slow” you joked around with Mason as Finn piped up from the sink.

“You better not or else I’ll get Gabe to make you blush again.” Finn teased as you blushed anyway at the thought, recalling earlier events.

Gabe and Finn ended up talking for an hour after Finn returned as you retreated to your room to sing away the rest of the time before opening hours. When you had left the room to politely bid Gabe goodbye, he ended up giving you a surprise friendly hug. Although nothing more than friendly, your mind became jelly as you blushed nonetheless and Finn noticed. Now he won’t let you live it down.

“Please stop teasing me, it’s embarrassing enough as it is, Finn.” you retreated behind the bar counter and started serving already inebriated customers their god knows which round of drinks.

“Hey pretty face, if you want someone to make you blush i can certainly deliver.” One of the customers began flirting, clearly a young man in his 20s with a patch of stubble visible on his chin that he missed to shave, his breath already smelling of liver failure and a bad hangover. You pressed into your neck to manipulate the man to stop.

“I suggest you leave after this next round, you seem too inebriated. Perhaps call yourself a cab.” The man instantly agreed as he downed the rest of his drink and went to call a cab. Having the ability to control minds through sound wasn’t so bad. 

The bar slowly started to clear of customers as midnight crept closer, the usual clean up routine already being started as you noticed Finn was oddly stiff.

“Finn, do you need me to help you relax after today, you seem to be walking like you just finished a marathon.”

“As nice as it sounds, I’ll pass. I actually need to wake up earlier as Gabe decided he’s gonna spend the day here bugging both of us.” Finn groaned as you laughed at his dismay at his old friend visiting so frequently.

“In that case, let me finish the clean up myself, you go get a semi early night Finn.” you offered.

“Thank you. I don’t mean to push it all onto you, I’m sorry Wren.”

“Don’t worry about it. Go get your beauty sleep, old man” Finn laughed weakly at your cheerful attitude as he struggled up the stairs in his fatigued state.

The clean up was going smoothly as you repeat the same routine again, this time alone and without the silent company of Finn, it felt almost empty. As if the night would consume you again, put you back into that forsaken lab with needles piercing your flesh and the sensation of burning and freezing at the same time would return. You sped up, hoping to rid those thoughts only to be interrupted by another distraction, this time an unwanted visitor. His suit barely fit his form as cybernetic enhancements could be seen on his forehead, paraded by his slicked back hair. His face seemed familiar though his smirk made your paranoia grow tenfold.

“I’m sorry sir, but we closed over half an hour ago, I’m afraid you’ll have to leave.” you tried to politely lead the visitor out as he seemed surprised.

“I thought this was an inn, no?” His accent clearly showed he was not local, but something about him unsettled you. He didn’t seem like the poorest of people that would need a room at a small inn, if anything his appearance was fit for a 5 star hotel as you tried to recall if you has seen him before.

“Yes, however I am afraid that the innkeeper doesn’t take guests past bar open hours. There is a hotel in the next town over if you would like me to direct you towards it.”

“Pity. I heard this place has quite the performer working for it. Something about being able to calm people with merely a song. You couldn’t offer more information on that for me would you?” you felt like vomiting. The mention of the cybernetics embedded in your neck by those damn cursed lab rats by a man you did not trust and were wary of made red flags go off immediately.

“I am afraid not. It is merely a result of a good performance and nothing more.”

“I see… very well then, thank you for your cooperation.” The man walked off but not before giving you one final shiver down your back. This was definitely not going to be the peaceful life you wanted for long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used, in order:  
P!nk - Crystal Ball  
Fall Out Boy - Jet Pack Blues


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stuff gets emotinal. Remember the graphic depictions of violence that you were warned about, well this is where that comes in. Angst and Fluff inbound.

Finn had already left for the depot by the time you had woken up. The sun was already blaring high in the sky and seeping in through the windows as you grabbed your guitar and went to the stage. You didn’t get to do this often but occasionally you would be home alone and the stage was yours and yours alone. Setting up the mic and plugging in the electric acoustic into the amp, you stood proud as you began to sing.

_ We're a thousand miles from comfort _

_ We have traveled land and sea _

_ But as long as you are with me _

_ There's no place I'd rather be _

The guitar strings filled the room as your thoughts went to Gabe. Why did this song remind you of him? You had always hated the military and he was basically a part of the largest military organisation in the world, so why? But he was kind, he had a personality. He wasn’t a drone in human form but a human who wanted to do good by any means. Could you really feel something other than fear again?

_ It's easy being with you _

_ Sacred simplicity _

_ As long as we're together _

_ There's no place I'd rather be _

Lost in the song, you barely noticed that someone had begun trying to pick the door open, the rattling barely audible as you stopped immediately. Finn had given Gabe a key to the place so it was an intruder for sure. Panic. All that filled you was panic. You weren't expecting intruders, and had no idea what to do if they came. That now started to bite you in the butt.

“Oh sweetheart, why don’t you let some old friends in for a drink, we can show you a really fun time.” A sleezy voice piped up behind the door as you recognised that same accent. The guy from Saturday night. Your stomach backflipped as you froze in fear at the sound of the door lock breaking and the door slamming open against the wall. A group of men, armed and ready to shoot came rushing in followed by the slimy toad of a man that had visited last night.

“What do you want?” Your yelling was calm and composed, trying to mask the fear that had you rooted to the stage.

“Straight to the point, eh darling? I like that. See, we have been looking around for you for a long time now. Vishkar had informed us that one of their weapon development labs had gotten wiped off the face of the map.” You gasped as you realised your past had finally caught up to you. You should have never stopped and settled here. You should have run far far away as soon as you were healthy enough. You knew Vishkar would find you again, they weren’t about to let their test subject disappear. “I was one of the main sponsors of the project you see. Not only did our test subject disappear, so did one of our completed weapons, the Sonic Amplifier. You however, were our prized possession. We have merely come to take back what's ours. Come quietly now Subject Siren.” While you were frozen in fear, Gabe had managed to arrive outside as he spotted the talon ship landed opposite the inn. This could not be good, he thought. 

Slowly he made his way towards the door as he listened in on the conversation unfolding inside.

“I burnt that laboratory to the ground for good reason, the fact that you think I will just submit and come with you quietly to be used as your little doll is laughable.” You reached towards your neck as a gunshot resounded and your hand started bleeding profusely. That didn't stop you from pressing down on your neck and unleashing a blood curdling scream in the inn, disorienting everyone inside as Gabe tried to think of a strategy to take on 20 or so talon guards in one go without his weaponry. 

_ Can I get a witness? _

_ 'Cause I can hold a grudge like nobody's business _

_ Seein' double vision _

_ Show me what you got and I'll show what you're missing _

The air became thick as the troopers inside began to scream, fear consuming them as Gabe began to see swirls in his vision, remembering what Wren had told him. She’s a siren. She can make people hallucinate. He had to do something to help.

“Earplugs, use them” the slimy gentleman yelled as your song became useless. The visions of monsters and fire that you had tried to conjure through your song became nonexistent as the pain in your arm grew stronger and the adrenaline that had fueled your anger now became the very base of your crippling fear. All you could do is let them take you back. Back to that same accursed hell that gave you your voice. Back to having your insides ripped out and replaced. Back to having needles pushed into every part of your body, your skin burning and freezing, the feeling of metal in your neck suddenly became more pronounced as tears lined your sight and your knees fell to the ground, surrounded by a group of terrorists bent on making you their weapon. Laughter filled the air as the large man stepped towards you, a large metal containment collar in his arms as he went to strap it onto your neck. 

“Welcome back, subject Siren. I look forward to seeing what you will do for us.”

Just as you lost all hope, Reyes and Finn ran in, Gunshots rang through the space like fireworks as 5 grunts dropped dead right in front of you, the large man startled enough to back off from your kneeling form. Finn held a pistol, smoking from one end, up towards the large man, stopping him from continuing to put the collar on you.

“Leave here. Now.” Gabe’s tone was one you hadn’t heard before. One of pure unadulterated rage. If you were on the receiving end of that, you would not be able to stand up to it as the large man was able to.

“Please excuse the intrusion, we are merely taking back what is ours.” The man smirked as the grunts turned their attention from you to the 2 soldiers standing between them and the exit. 

“She is not an object. And she most certainly doesn’t belong to you, now I suggest you move your scum filled asses out of here before Overwatch gets here, wouldn’t want a respectful businessman to be exposed for being a kidnapper and a Talon associate, would we Antonio?” Gabe knew this man. He had organised so many operations at black tie events simply to get information on Talon and their new motives. Antonio was a wealthy businessman currently funding Talon’s weapon development and recruitment processes through his many tobacco businesses which hold lucrative profits worldwide. He was also involved in weapons dealing and was one of the main arms of the italian mafia. The public view him in high regard due to his insistence on creating so called ‘clean tobacco’ but Reyes knew the truth. This man was one of the most evil human beings currently alive, if he can even be considered human anymore. His links within politics and the international community make him practically invincible.

“Ah Gabriel Reyes, you honestly believe that Overwatch would be able to lock me up? My friends would have me out in no time. Your organisation is in the palm of my hand. Now this specimen is very important to me so she must be taken back to her proper home. In Talon’s ranks.” As Antonio smiled his vile smile, Finn had heard enough and shot at the man’s arm holding the collar. The metal hit the floor as Antonio screamed bloody murder and all hell broke loose. The talon grunts began to rush the two super soldiers as Antonio grabbed at your neck, putting you in a headlock and blocking your windpipe as you tried to fight his surprising strength. Gabe had already knocked 5 of the grunts unconscious as he noticed Antonio grabbing you by the neck towards the door. His instincts took hold and he ran towards you as Finn took the rest of the grunts on alone. He may not be a soldier now but he was still trained under SEP, flinging the grunts like ragdolls as he tried to avoid making a mess of the already messy bar. One had attempted to shoot at him while the others occupied Finn’s attention but got smacked by his flying teammate hurtling towards him, the two of them landing unconscious slumped against the wall next to the entrance. Gabe had grabbed one of the guns from the unconscious grunts and pointed it towards the shrivelling mess of a man trying to escape.

“Put her down Antonio. I will not let you take her.” Antonio merely laughed at Gabe’s attempts to threaten him. 

“You cannot kill me. Your little organisation would become known to all of humanity. The UN will destroy Overwatch. A kingdom to fall simply for the life of a single girl.” Gabe heard enough. He shot at Antonio’s shoulder, another scream echoing in the inn. The grip on your windpipe lessened as you kicked the man behind you in the shin, sending him to the ground as Reyes held your waist close to make sure you were steady and balanced. Adrenaline and fear were all you could feel as the embarrassment of being this close to Gabe didn’t register in your head. All you could focus on was the form of Antonio backing away into his airship, the Talon ship leaving the unconscious grunts in the inn behind as Gabe’s demeanor softened and assessed the situation.

Tables and chairs were overturned, the bar relatively safe as no broken glass was seen anywhere. Finn had managed to subdue the rest of the grunts without a scratch on himself. He was lucky Finn had appeared when he did and carried weapons in his car boot. Trying to fight 20 or so armed grunts is suicide without some sort of weapon. He finally turned to your shaking form he held in his arms, tears streaming down your cheek as he noticed the large wound on your arm.

“Damn that coward, Finn, you take care of Wren, I need to make some calls.” That was the last thing you heard before exhaustion kicked in and you passed out.

***

“There’s no infection, though there may be some scarring. I do not have any biotic fluid with me so I’m afraid that’s all I can do for now. Keep it clean and make sure she gets some rest.” An accented female voice was speaking to your right as your arm felt weirdly numb. You could hear but your eyelids were like lead. 

“Thank you Dr Zeigler. I will file my report on what happened here after I get some information out of her about the events that transpired. As I couldn’t contact him, please inform the Strike Commander that Lacroix will be handling all Blackwatch activity until I have ascertained what exactly happened here.” It was Gabe’s voice, you recognised that much, but why would he be here. Was he with Finn when he went to get the package?

“I do not know why you must stay here for such a thing when Finn can easily get information out of her as well but I presume she means something special to you so I will inform the Strike Commander. Do not take too long though.” With that, the clacking of heels signified the doctors departure as Reyes and Finn conversed among themselves, unaware that you were in fact conscious. 

“Did you hear much about why Talon wanted Wren?” Finn was clearly concerned and angry at the fact he left you alone to get a package when he could have taken you with him.

“I heard something about subject Siren. She told me when I asked what her powers were that she is a Siren but to think that was a part of her past that has now come to haunt her is something i did not expect. I need to question her more, sorry Finn.” Finn clicked his tongue, clearly not pleased with the outcome of events.

“Don’t interrogate her Gabe, you saw what her powers can do, you experienced that when you felt too dizzy to even walk into the inn. Don’t corner her or else you’ll regret it.”

“I know, but I want to keep her safe.” Gabe sighed as you felt a hand stroking your cheek. “She has seen and gone through too much. I need to keep her safe.”

“Gabe, you and I both know that you have feelings for her, don’t overwhelm her with your protective tendencies.” Wait, did you hear that right? Feelings for you? Your mind began swirling with uncertainties again. Feelings weren’t something that came to you naturally without a song there to express them, but somehow Gabe manages to make your heart pound without the music. But how would you tell him that you feel the same. Fear overrode anything else you were thinking as you slipped into unconsciousness.

***

You woke to the smell of pancakes and your vanilla diffuser. Opening your eyes, you were resting in your bed with a bandage around your arm, the sky outside a deep black with the moon fully risen, yet there was no noise coming from downstairs. Just as you were getting out of bed to look around, Finn came in with a plate of stacked pancakes coated in maple syrup. 

“How are you holding up, Wren?” He smiled gently as he closed the door behind him and looked at you with a sombre glance.

“I’m fine, though I can't feel my arm.”

“That would be the numbing agent, it should wear off soon, though you might have a small scar from the bullet hole.”

“What happened when I passed out?” Finn looked away to avoid your question. He knew he couldn’t stop Gabe from interrogating you and that it was inevitable, but he wished he could stop the idea.

“Eat those pancakes for now, I’ll be downstairs when you’ve gathered some of your energy again. The bar is closed for today because of what happened and Gabe is helping me clean up. Come down when you’re ready and we can talk.” He smiled and left in an instant, leaving you with a sense of dread, or was it excitement at the prospect of talking to Gabe about the incident. They both want answers, you’re sure of it, but providing them answers would mean your whole world would shatter again and you would need to start running again. Running for freedom.You looked to your bonsai which was motionless in your stale room. Never moving yet always at peace. For once, you wished you could be the same.

*** 

Gabe and Finn were sweeping up after the incident, most of the furniture undamaged, the grunts already apprehended by Overwatch hours ago. The silence was tense as Finn for the first time in a long while, felt anger and distaste at how Gabe was handling the situation.

“I told her to come down when she is ready. If you so much as hurt her emotionally, I will never forgive you.” Gabe chuckled at Finn’s threat.

“I understand Finn but do you have to treat me like such a villain. I want clarification not conviction. No matter what she wants to indulge with me i will not harm her.”

“I hope you’re right.” Finn spoke with a stoic expression as the thought of losing you crossed his mind. He never had the chance to have kids but you were the closest he has ever had and losing that would affect him more than Gabe could fathom. Gabe may have feelings for you, but Finn loved you like family. 

You walked down the stairs, your hair still slightly damp from the shower, a new bandage on your arm as you wrapped it anew. You seemed semi stable as you walked down the stairs but seeing Gabe instantly made you tense. He wanted your secrets and for once you considered the possibility of fighting him in hand to hand. With sheer force, Gabe would win, but you had your voice. While you could make people experience emotions, you could also enhance your own senses and physique. You could make yourself run at superhuman speeds, punch with superhuman strength, become a berserker with no grasp of morality. It was a strength and a hindrance. 

“Glad to see you’re doing ok.” Gabe looked at you with a smile but you knew he had questions.

“I’m fine. Thank you for coming to help.” Finn and Gabe looked at you and frowned awkwardly as they try to word what they wanted in a manner that wouldn’t intimidate you. “I know, I know, you want some answers as to what had happened, but please.” You were on the verge of crying as worry began flooding the two of them. “Please don’t lock me up.” Tears began falling down your cheeks at the prospect of losing the one home you have anymore.

“Don’t worry about that Wren, I just need to know why the attack happened, I’m not here to take you away and interrogate you.” Gabe walked towards you and wrapped an arm around your shoulders and hugged you, his scent relaxing your muscles as you calmed down. You knew you shouldn’t trust him, it was his job to get secrets out of people. Your precious secrets that you hoarded for so long and he wants to take them from you. But what choice do you have. You held onto him tighter hoping you wouldn’t have to face him with your past.

***

You awoke in a lab coat on a steel table, lights from the ceiling blinding you and the slow rhythmic beating of the heart rate monitor to your side being the only sound polluting the sterile environment. You were uneasy and your memory was faded as someone clad in white with a clipboard strode in and began to take notes.

“Good day Miss, could you tell me some information about yourself please.” their voice held an accent though you couldn't pinpoint what kind. As you opened your mouth to speak, no sound came out. All you could do was produce grunts and vague noises of displeasure but any words you tried to speak didn't come out.

“I see. I will be conducting a medical examination but by the initial contact I believe your vocal cords are either damaged or inflamed, making speech difficult.”

The time in that labarotory passed slowly and each and every day was torture. After the initial medical exam they started to use you as a human test subject to create a living weapon. You weren't the only one, you saw multiple people were a part of this project. Some of them died from the intense pain, some rejected the metal of the implant that was forced into the throat. You wished you were one of them. You lost track of how many days you had spent with needles riddling your flesh. How many days they had you singing and testing your powers on innocents. They thought they had trained you to perfection, to become the ultimate weapon. They injected liquid fire into your veins, they wanted to gouge you from the inside, to make your bones metal, make you indestructible. All of that to create a weapon they could use to brainwash and manipulate people for their own gain. Then one day, you had enough. It was the day they had you strapped to a steel table, unpacking the specially made omnic limbs that they would upgrade your body with. The metal contraption they used to recreate your vocal chords was underneath the skin of your neck now, the only trace left of it was the initial cut around your neck they used to peel the skin back. The metal itself would overheat during extended periods of time so they installed an off switch on the back of your neck to make sure you weren’t capable of using the power to escape and burn the very technology.

That one day, they had left the device on by accident. It was their doom. As they began injecting liquid fire into your veins once more to cool down your body temperature, you snapped. Every emotion that you zoned out until that day had finally come rushing in, it was as if a dam was opened. The scientists had scrambled for tranquilizers, guns, anything they could use to calm the beast, but it was all worthless. You instilled an image of a burning fire in your mind as you began to sing with rage in your eyes. 

  
  


_ Can you hear the war-cry? _

_ The adrenaline bursts through the riverbanks _

_ Welcome to the skirmish I can't feel my legs _

_ Give me morphine, give me morphine, give me more! _

The scientists scattered as you used your voice to turn yourself into a berserker, taking a scalpel into your hand, not caring a single bit for the blood it shed as you ran at each and every person in that room, slashing until their bloodied corpses were no longer recognisable. Blood painted the walls as colour filled the sheets of white that surrounded you. More. You looked for more, you wanted them to suffer, you wanted them to know pain and suffering like you had.

_ The adrenaline bursts through the riverbanks welcome to the skirmish _

_ The epinephrine plows through the barriers welcome to the skirmish _

_ The adrenaline bursts through the riverbanks welcome to the skirmish _

You punched through the red stained walls, you didn't care for the pain, it was nothing, your voice had neutralised it. Your strength knew no bounds and for once in your life, you were able to unleash the intense emotion you felt into physical form. They would all suffer. You saw the burners set up for heating the enhancement agents they would pour into your veins as you took one of them and set a stack of papers alight, flinging the stack until the floor became a flaming mess, fire spewing from the ground as your voice enhanced reality with a fake illusion. Armed with various cutting tools and moving on to the next song, your killing spree didn't stop until every scientist was nothing but a pile of blood and guts, taking pleasure in dismantling their very anatomy just as they tried to dismantle you. You laughed at your own viciousness as revenge clouded everything you were doing.

_ To be strung up on a leafless tree, _

_ Where everything dies and nothing grows _

_ Hanging like moulding fruit _

_ One last dance whilst you decompose _

You held one face you recognised by his throat up into the air before you slammed him against the wall, creating a cut shallow enough not to harm his organs but to split his skin open, revealing his insides to the smoking building as his guts oozed out from your incision. The first face you saw when you woke up in hell. He tried reaching into his pocket to pull out his transceiver to alert someone of the situation. He didn't get a chance to even pull it out before you slashed his hand clean off, a deafening shriek leaving his mouth as his tears began to clean your hands of blood.

_ We've sat still for far too long _

_ Now this ain't over yet _

_ As far as I can see… _

_ We've only just begun _

He struggled to survive as you watched his face go blue, enjoying the pain he was experiencing knowing he was the man that began your suffering. As your song finished with a crescendo, his body stopped it's struggle and grew limp in your hand, slumping against the slowly greying wall. You ransacked what you could, finding a clean set of clothes and a large briefcase of money and a backpack, you filled it with as much cash as you can before you cleaned your hands and put on the set of clothes, the building was burning but the fire wasn't large enough to bring it down just yet as you gathered your things carefully and left the site, looking back at the black smoke beginning to rise from its centre. You sang one last goodbye to the place that held you in purgatory. 

_ Da da da da dada da da _

_ Burn Burn Burn Burn _

_ Burn in the fire _

_ Da da da da dada da da _

_ Burn Burn Burn Burn _

_ Burn in the fire _

The flames sang along with you as the building was engulfed and your past burnt away with it. 

From then on you simply ran. You stopped counting how many days you ran from that place. The money was able to get you new clothes and food for a while, but eventually, you crossed the border and money meant nothing anymore. Surviving in the unrelenting desert took its toll and months, maybe even years after you had left the facility, you finally collapsed, unable to hold it together while starving and dehydrated in the scorching outback of god knows where. That’s when Finn found you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used (in order):  
Clean Bandit - Rather Be  
Adam Jensen - I Can Hold A Grudge Like Nobody's Business  
Enter Shikari - The Last Garrison  
Enter Shikari - The Paddington Frisk  
AViVA - BRN
> 
> (Jeez i used a lot of songs this chapter)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest, I'm pretty sure most of this from now on isn't checked for grammar or spelling mistakes (i have someone beta reading for me but like... he doesn't want to anymore so most of this probably has more mistakes than the first 3 chapters...)
> 
> That said, Amari and McCree come in and my new favourite trope is McCree getting slapped by women...

“So you illegally crossed the border after escaping from one of Vishkar’s weapon development laboratories?” Gabe pondered as you sat there defeated. Telling him was draining but at this point you have given up all hope at trying, maybe Overwatch will give you a nice padded cell and a straightjacket, at least it would be comfy. Finn just stared on expressionless, probably startled by the fact that he rescued a serial killer you thought. Gabe looked to Finn.

“It would be in the best interest of both me and Finn for you to join Overwatc-” 

“No.” Before Gabe had even finished the sentence, you and Finn interjected together with a resounding no as Gabe sighed at you both.

“I can’t go back to a life similar to that, to have my every action ruled by others.” You sit there, knowing full well you would be causing Finn even more trouble but you didn’t care. Freedom was all you wanted and Finn offered you that when he let you stay and work here.

“And I agree with her reasoning, plus she knows how to take care of herself.” Finn interjected much to your surprise, he was more understanding than you gave him credit for. 

“What both of you don’t understand is that Talon will be back, next time they’ll bring an army just to get Wren. This isn’t just a case of I could use her powers in Overwatch, it’s a case of I want to protect those close to me. I don’t want to lose you both just as I lost my wife and child.” Gabe’s face became sombre and sad as he explained himself. Although you felt bad about the loss, you knew you couldn't do anything about it. He was a soldier and it came with the job description, but it was still difficult to stomach.

Your mind was whirling in thought at this point. You wanted to protect Finn and this inn, it was the least you could do for him, but joining a military organisation in order for them to use you as a living weapon and take away your freedom repulsed you more than any army of talon mercenaries could. 

“I’ve made up my mind, commander, and I will not change my decision no matter what you say.” you faced Gabe who’s face held an intimidating aura, anger lacing his voice as he stormed out.

“A pity.” Was the last thing you heard before he slammed the door.

***

Gabe didn’t leave at all. In fact, he was back at the inn every day now, trying to persuade you to change your mind, yet you were having none of it. Your freedom was worth more than anything he could offer. Eventually after a week, he had simply stopped mentioning it. Instead he would come in every day at midday and bring you lunch. Some days it was obviously takeout, and some days he would use the kitchen, much to Finn’s annoyment, to cook you food. You would both sit and talk, getting to know each other little by little. 

“I know it’s a difficult subject but what happened to your wife and child… You mentioned them a few weeks ago…” You were probably going to regret asking but curiosity got the better of you. Gabe sighed.

“They were killed by omnics while I was on an Overwatch mission in Germany to help evacuate the cities there. My wife was also a soldier but she was 6 months pregnant when she was attacked. Since then, I swore I would do whatever was in my power to protect those close to me.” He looked at you as he finished his thoughts before turning away, the situation becoming more awkward the more time passed as he tried to change the subject. “I don’t recognise any of the songs you sing, where are they from?” Gabe asked inquisitively, digging into the full picnic basket of food he had brought with him as you both sat on the floor of your room.

“They’re songs I used to listen to when I was younger. I find the songs I am able to relate an emotion to are the ones that are most powerful when I sing them with my siren voice.” you stuck a strawberry in your mouth as you got comfy. Something about Gabe made you feel small and happy. It was a strange glowing feeling and only while around him did you ever feel it. Like a cold breeze on a hot summer day, it was refreshing to be able to feel so relaxed again. He would disinfect and wrap your bullet hole, even undoing the stitches which unnerved you seeing as he isn't a qualified surgeon. Gabe’s company was something you didn’t think you needed until you have experienced it and now, you were afraid to lose it. 

“So what song would you use to describe being here with me.” You couldn’t tell but you swore Gabe was almost cutely embarrassed to ask that question. Instead of answering him straight away, you went to pick up your guitar and started singing. 

_ It's just something. _

_ Maybe I'll wait _

_ Unstoppable _

_ With silence in my veins _

_ From been alone _

_ We will live like wolves we will hunt him down _

_ Darling i swear _

Gabe listened intently, glad that you began to trust him again. He definitely hasn’t given up on the idea of you joining Overwatch, and Morrison for once agreed with him. He saw you more than just an asset though, you were a friend, someone he felt comfortable with. Your company has given him some much needed peace from the problems he faces day to day. His affection for you seems to have grown since the attack on the inn, although initially frustrated at your refusal, now he can see that you are a more complex human being than he gave you credit for. As the song finished, you looked at him a blush adorning your cheeks as you stood to put the guitar back and silently grabbed more of the finger foods in front of you. 

“It’s a beautiful song, what’s it called.”

“Alaska. Though I probably could have picked something that wasn’t a love song.” You practically whispered to yourself, regretting your stupid desiciont. As a result, you and Gabe ate the rest of your lunch in silence before Finn interrupted.

“Guys, I need you to look at this.” He bellowed from downstairs as you rushed out that room as fast as possible to avoid having to face Gabe and own up to your affections. Rushing downstairs, you found Finn holding a suspicious letter with a stylised V on the wax seal holding it shut.

“Vishkar's logo?” Gabe startled you as he rushed past to take a closer look at the letter itself.

_ Dear Owner of the Horsecradle Inn, _

_ It has come to our attention that you are in fact offering refuge to one of our escaped test subjects by the name of Siren. We would like to inform you that unless you quietly let us place her back into a secure testing environment that it is very likely that she will cause grievous harm to your inn and surroundings.  _

_ We hope we can come to an understanding and that you return our test subject safely back to us so that she may be quarantined. We shall pay you handsomely for her safe return to us. _

_ Sincerely, _

_ Venture Robotics Laboratories _

“What a load of shit. They sent a letter asking for you to basically sell Wren to her previous kidnappers.” Gabe’s voice rose in anger. “Give me the letter, Wren you’re coming with me.” 

“Gabe wait what are you-” Finn was confused more than anything.

“I’m taking her to headquarters. Morrison needs to have a look at this letter and we need a plan to keep Wren safe, for now I cannot guarantee her safety while Talon know your address and are willing enough to send letters directly to you. You can take care of yourself.” Gabe was out of the house in a heartbeat, dragging you into the holocar he had parked outside, his strength too much for you to protest.

“What the fuck Gabe?” You screamed as soon as the initial shock of getting thrown into the passenger seat had worn off.

“I told you, I need to keep you safe from Talon. You got lucky to escape the last time but if they got their hands on you again, I would have to be the one to put a bullet in you.” You looked at him in shock and his forwardness.

“Would you?” You asked, realising he put his job before your feelings any day of the week. His pause gave you some hope.

“I’d have to.” All hope shattered as you realised he would never put your safety first, just the safety of the public, one life would mean nothing to him.

As disgruntled with the situation as you were, you had no choice but to sit quietly and hope that Finn will be okay when you get back. The idea of meeting Overwatch commanders made you sick. 

The car pulled into a large building as Gabe confirmed his identity with the guard at the front, pulling into a large multi storey car park lined with everything from holo bikes and old trucks to fighter jets and cargo planes. The entire building was mostly underground, you assumed the planes had to be driven outside first which is why the entrance is so large. 

“Welcome to Watchpoint 32, the base of operations for all Overwatch activities.” Gabe smirked as you looked on in awe. You wanted to be disgusted at the thought of being in a similar environment to that laboratory, but it was hard not to admire the sheer scale of the place you were in. As you left the initial parking lot, the size of the base was like that of a large city. You could see outdoor courses being used for training, as well as shooting ranges, half outdoors and half indoors as the large communication towers were built upon tall storage buildings, some with open doorways into makeshift gyms. The entire area was mostly open plan aside from the large buildings to the back, presumably the barracks and social spaces. You followed Gabe closely, careful to not get separated in such a clustered environment as gunshots and grunts from the various people around you training startled you after each step, not that you needed to worry. Gabe instilled fear into everyone who looked at him and you could tell. The crowds would part like the Red Sea as soon as they spotted him, unnerving you even more as he kept a solid grip on your hand leading you towards one of the larger buildings with an open garage door entrance, leading into what looked like a command centre. 

“I need to speak with Commander Morrison, do you happen to know his whereabouts?” Gabe asked the completely unfazed woman in front of him as she continued to write onto her clipboard. Her lab coat and appearance reminded you all too much of the first scientist you met in that forsaken laboratory as you instinctively tried backing out, to no avail as Gabe’s grip didn’t budge. 

“Yes, he is on the observation deck on the second floor, observing the new recruits training and their progress.” Her accent gave you a flashback to the day of the Talon attack. She was the doctor that had helped with your wounds. “Might i ask how your bullethole has been healing Wren?” She turned to you but before you could answer, Gabe had already pulled you along with him towards the elevator to the observation deck.

“We’re in a hurry, once we finish up business you can have a look at her wounds.” You disliked how hurried Gabe was as you were being flung around like a little kids toy being dragged behind them, yet a part of you didn’t mind the warmth of Gabe’s hand on yours. 

The elevator dinged as you walked out onto the blue carpeted floor, surrounded by various monitors as a middle aged man and woman were looking out the window ahead down onto the floor below, both clad in blue.

“Morrison, I need to speak with you about something. It’s urgent.” The man in blue with startling yellow hair looked towards you both as you tried to hide behind Gabe as much as possible. You wanted nothing more than to run away but you were pretty sure you wouldn’t get far with 2 commanders in one room. 

“What has you so flustered Reyes.” Morrison looked towards you in confusion as the pieces clicked in his head. “Ah, you must be Wren, it’s nice to finally meet you face to face.” His smile was more charming than Gabe but you felt uneasy around him. He seemed almost too sociable and unfit to be in charge of such a large organisation, but he had the role for a reason even if you didn’t exactly know the reason. You stepped out from behind Gabe as your voice wavered.

“Nice to meet you…” You said in a small voice as the women at the window silently turned around and started observing the situation unfolding in the room. Maybe it was just you, but it seemed like all the high command of Overwatch could see through people’s souls. Their demeanours were all so intense that it scared you to be in this room with them all. 

“A threat was sent to Finn’s inn instructing that he hand over Wren to Talon or risk being in severe danger. I wanted to know your ideas on how to deal with such a situation.” Gabe spoke as Morrison’s face turned into a scowl.

“Let me read it.” His frown only got worse the more he read on as you were scared to hear the same words that Gabe had told you. To join Overwatch. Once he was done, he turned to look at you as you were anticipating the same response you got from Gabe. Instead what you got was a question. 

“Why are you so against joining Overwatch, Wren?” You certainly didn’t expect to be questioned on that, apparently Gabe already let him know that you weren’t going to join any time soon. Your determination came back as you looked Morrison dead in the eyes.

“I value my freedom.” Morrison looked slightly surprised at how someone so timid became so bold in just a second simply at the idea of losing your freedom. Gabe had told him you were a test subject under Vishkar but he clearly didn’t know the extent of the damage that had been done to you, other than the scars on your neck. 

“I see. In that case, all we can do is monitor you and make sure that if another attempt is made by Talon, that we are there as soon as possible to stop it. I’d like to discuss the situation with Commander Reyes for now. Captain Amari, would you mind showing Wren around base?” The woman stepped up towards you as she smiled gently at you. She wasn’t as unnervingly social as Morrison but she definitely knew how to get information. There is no greater threat to your life than a curious captain with free time. 

“Ziegler wanted to see her wounds to make sure they’ve healed, I suggest you make the medical bays your first stop.” Gabe bid you farewell as you were left anxious and fearing for your life with one of the most important people in the Overwatch organisation. Fun. 

“Well now that the boys have gone to discuss matters, how about I show you around?” Amari’s accent was oddly therapeutic as she led you down towards the medical bay. She didn’t ask you many questions about why you were here but you assumed she already knew from Gabe and Morrison. Dr Ziegler had given you the ok when she checked your wounds and you found that being around her wasn’t nearly as bad as being around the scientists in Vishkar’s labs. Overwatch was a lot more friendly than you had first thought it to be. 

“This is the training area, mostly reserved for shooting practice. As you can see, Jesse is already wasting bullets trying to show off.” Amari chuckled as you saw a semi familiar face shooting with a revolver at moving human cut outs. The cowboy that tried flirting with you when you first met Gabe.

“Has he always been like this.” you asked Amari as you chuckled at the display he was pulling in front of some of the female soldiers who were struggling to hit a target as he shot each and every cutout directly in the head without breaking a sweat. 

“Oh always. Reyes recruited him not too long ago from a gang operating in Deadlock gorge. He has incredible aim but his penchant for flirting gets him more than a little beat up.” Amari laughed as one of the more frustrated women next to Jesse had stopped shooting and stomped up to him and slapped him square across the face. His face was priceless as she walked away red as a beetroot after noticing Captain Amari was observing the whole situation. 

“Well howdy, if it isn’t the cutie from the commander’s favourite little inn.” the cowboy walked up to you, his hand still trying to cool the giant hand imprint that he now had across his face. “Fancy joining me in a little aim training?” You were startled by his sudden suggestion, but the prospect of getting to wipe his smile off his face was too tempting especially as Amari pushed you forward. 

“Go on, it’s only for fun. Who knows maybe you’ll beat the infamous cowboy.” She laughed as she took a step back and watched Jesse help set you up. 

“Ya ever shot a gun before darling?”

“No but I don't imagine it to be too difficult.” Your reply was swiftly followed by a gunshot from the revolver Jesse had handed you. Although not a perfect shot, you at least managed to hit the target. Jesse whistled.

“You sure you ain’t shot before, that's a mighty lucky shot there” You smirked. Getting complimented was always pleasant, even if it was by a flirtatious cowboy.

“Scared?” You smirked at him as your competition began. The highest score would win it was that simple. Athena, who you learned was the AI that controlled every Overwatch base worldwide, would be the one counting so all you had to do was shoot as many targets as you could for 5 minutes. Straightforward enough. As the game started, you noticed all of Jesse’s shots weren’t exact but he was still ahead of you from the start and his lead wasn’t diminishing. You were never one to lose a competition, the fun of being mischievous in this situation was too good to pass up even if it meant that you were playing dirty. You reached for your neck and turned on the siren’s voice. 

_ I took a cheap shot, _

_ A clean miss. _

_ Burnin' my defenses with the shakin of her hips, _

You knew what you were doing. The song reached Jesse’s ears and instantly his vision had become distorted as the targets out in the shooting field became images of seductive, half-naked women, affecting his aim tremendously as he started shooting like a drunk man. Amari watched intrigued as she finally had a look at your strange implant and what it did. She of course saw the illusion that you were forcing onto Jesse, yet it was faint... Fascinated she kept examining the abilities of your voice as you continued to sing.

_ Loaded the bullets with my blood in the rounds. _

_ Yeah she's a sweet six shooter, _

_ She knows how to get down. _

_ Until the kick-back, _

_ When my heart hits the ground. _

_ She said, _

_ "You think you're so tough, _

_ Baby put your hands up." _

Your aim became perfect as each target you hit was a bullseye. You never tried to enhance your abilities and create illusions at the same time ever since the laboratory incident, yet it felt freeing to be able to do it again. You slowly lose yourself to the melody.

_ She gets me deep in the chest, _

_ Straight through my bullet-proof vest. _

_ She kisses like a grenade, _

_ Like a blade, or Bayonet. _

The last minute you had begun to reach the end of the song as you noticed your score was almost double Jesse’s as you triumphantly smiled at the outcome the song had on your opponent. 

_ "You think you're so tough, _

_ Baby put your hands up." _

_ Yeah. _

You blew the smoke from the end of the revolver as you put it down and turned to Jesse, who seemed to be snapping out of his illusion as he looked to the shooting range and then back to you, blushing as red as a tomato. You turned off your siren voice finally as you chuckled at his disheveled demeanor.

“Looks like I won cowboy. Better luck next time.” You smiled triumphantly as he struggled to find the words to say as Amari came up behind you both clapping. 

“That was quite special. I never would have imagined you had such an ability Wren. Reyes was underselling how special you truly are.” Jesse looked at the captain in confusion as he remembered the song.

“Wait, you were the one who made those cutouts become those sexy women.” Jesse instantly regretted his word choice as Amari slapped him across the back of his head. You wanted to avoid explaining yourself so you tried to simply change the subject as you looked to Amari. 

“So Captain Amari, where to next.” You smiled hoping that she had picked up on the fact that you don't want to explain what you just did. Getting carried away in the fun of the competition was about to be the worst mistake you ever made. 

“Oh please dear, call me Ana. You aren’t a soldier here yet so we can skip the formalities. The next closest place is the barracks” 

You were led around the rest of the facility by Ana as you tried to avoid any questions about your voice that were thrown at you. Although you felt bad, you didn’t want to reveal anything more than what you revealed to Gabe and Finn. You trusted the both of them but trusting a military soldier that you haven't met before was a little harder. The assortment of agents in the facility gave you whiplash. Not everyone was buff and aggressive, there were regular people here who weren’t fighters but medics, technicians, chefs. The variety of people really made it all feel like a safe community where there weren’t agents trained to kill and murder other people. You almost felt like you could call this place home, until Amari led you into one of the conference rooms, with a very stoic looking Morrison and Reyes directing their gaze to you as you nervously strode in, your way out blocked by Amari.

“We need to talk, Wren.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used (in order):  
Dead - Alaska  
Coyote Kisses - Six Shooter


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to write more graphic and angsty scenes but im terrible at it so this is the best i could do.

The mood of the room was off. The atmosphere was heavy and the two commanders standing in front of you did nothing to ease your anxiety. 

“Take a seat, Wren. We would like to discuss how we wish to help.” Morrison’s voice was like an infomercial, it made your stomach queasy at the idea of listening to it for longer than 30 seconds. What made it worse was the butterflies in your stomach from being near Gabe when his gaze pierced right through you. 

“Right, if this is about me joining Overwatch, then I might as well spare you the trouble and already repeat what I’ve said a million times. I am not joining.” Both commanders sighed as they realised that a compromise is all they could get.

“We aren’t asking you to join Overwatch, but we do want you to move into the living area within this facility.” You looked at them both in shock. Moving into the facility as a civilian seemed like they just wanted you to change your mind over time. And it seemed expensive when they aren’t training you as a soldier.

“Excuse me, but how would I even live here as a civilian without a job-”

“Taken care of.” Gabe interrupted you before you could finish. “Listen, I know you dislike the idea of joining us as a soldier which is understandable, but you are a primary target for Talon and living in public will only mean that we are less likely to be able to stop another Talon attack. Even if you do not wish to join us, at least let us protect you.” Gabe’s voice almost turned warm as unbeknownst to you, Ana smiled behind you as the realization hit her. Gabe wanted to protect you more than anything because he was completely smitten with you.

“I agree with Reyes and his reasoning. Your needs will be taken care of as if you were a soldier her however you are under no obligation to join our ranks unless you are certain. You can maintain your freedom and we can keep you safe.” Morrison was clearly disappointed at the fact that you would not join, as was Gabe, but you hoped at least Ana was on your side.

“Your talents are extraordinary dear, but we are not barbarians. We will not force any responsibility onto you unless you choose.” and the last remaining hope that Ana was on your side dwindled immediately. Although you disliked the idea of leaving Finn alone, you also didn’t want to cause him more trouble than you already have..

“What about Finn?”

“He can take care of himself. I understand if you want to consult with him before you make a decision.” Gabe interjected.

“Then please can i sleep on it and give you an answer tomorrow.” You looked at them dejected and drained. Leaving Finn would be best for him but you also wanted to keep him company. Finn was your father by now, he had raised you for months and taken you from rock bottom to where you are now. You owed him the world and spitting in his face and leaving was the last thing you wanted to do.

“I’ll take you back, but until you make your choice I have to insist on staying at the inn, especially after this threat.” Morrison had let Gabe take you out of the room as he looked to Amari for a second realising what is happening. Ana smirked,

“I do believe Gabriel Reyes is in love.” 

****

The drive back was tiring. You knew that the commanders raised a good point but that doesn't mean you have to like the truth. The atmosphere between you and Gabe became awkward as you considered the possibility of moving to Watchpoint 32, the butterflies in your stomach buzzing at the idea of being able to see him daily, but leaving Finn behind at that expense saddened you. As you pull into the inn, the sight was one that you dreaded.

The glass on the windows was broken fully, a Talon ship was docked on the deserted land opposite the inn as you hoped that this was all just a dream.

“Gabe, what the fuck happened here?” You were shaking. You knew the answer but you were still shaking. 

“Stay in the car.” He clambered out as he opened the trunk and pulled out two shotgun weapons, a belt of ammo and some body armour. Someone was clearly prepared. You weren’t about to sit around while your home got destroyed. 

“Hell no. I’m coming.”

“Like hell you are, they’re after you. At least you’ll be safe in the car.”

“And what makes you so sure that they won’t just steal the car?” Gabe pondered your point before letting you out, you clearly won that argument.

“All right, but stay close to me.” 

“I will. Don’t worry.” You grabbed the edge of his shit as both of you entered a warzone. What you saw was not a pretty sight. Finn was tied to a chair and beaten within an inch of his life, blood marking his face as his eyes struggled to stay open. He had slashes and gunshot wounds all over him, thankfully though he was still breathing as 5 talon agents surrounded him along with one unfamiliar face. 

“It’s good to finally meet you, Gabriel Reyes.” When you saw the giant V embroidered on his back, you knew who this man was instantly. Apendi Vishkar. The founder of Vishkar corporation and the reason you were cursed with your voice. 

“Leave now. If the public finds out the famed Vishkar president is not only working with talon, but ransacked an innocent man’s inn then you will have hell to pay.” The same tone was back. Gabe’s uncontrollable anger. 

“Now, now. This man isn’t so innocent don’t you think. Stealing other people’s property is a crime, and that girl behind you is very much my property.” Vishkar smirked.

“She’s a human being, she cannot be your property.”

“Is she human though?” The question had you confused just as much as Reyes. “We found her amongst the rubble of a demolished building. The building was abandoned for decades and we did a sweeping search before we demolished it, yet amongst the rubble a week later, we found a girl. Barely breathing and heavily bruised. But alive under 10 tonnes of concrete.” This was all news to you. You vaguely remember darkness and being pulled out from under rubble but you never thought that it was like this. How did you end up here. You remembered your family, your home, your friends. But this wasn’t the earth you grew up on. This wasn’t what you remembered. 

“Are you suggesting she isn’t human because she miraculously survived a building demolition. Face it Vishkar, you merely found a girl in the rubble that you missed while scouting the building and took her in to avoid damage to your image. If the media found out that your building collapse gravely injured a girl, you would face a backlash from the international community.” Gabe had a point. But that didn’t explain your memories. That didn’t explain why your first language was English when you were found in Rio de Janeiro. 

“She is no mere human Reyes, can you not see her powers. She levelled one of our laboratories in the span of a single night. You of all people should be arresting her rather than letting her stay in the community.” Vishkar smiled as a grunt grabbed you from behind. You screamed behind the gloved hand as your grip on Gabe’s shirt tightened. Without hesitation, he turned around and popped a bullet in each grunts skull, smoke escaping his shotguns. 

“I already told you. Leave. Or I will get Overwatch involved.” At that Vishkar only chuckled as he nodded his head towards both you and Gabe. The grunts surrounding Finn now surrounded you and Gabe as they shot at Gabe’s weapons, breaking them leaving you both defenceless. Gabe snarled as Vishkar taunted him.

“What will you do without your precious little toys now, Commander?” Instinct kicked in for you. You reached for your neck. You knew the grunts had hearing aides that helped them suppress your voice and not be affected, Vishkar wasn't so dumb as to come unprepared in case you retaliated. But Gabe didn’t 

“Gabe. Listen to my voice. I’m going to make you invulnerable for about 3 minutes do you think you can take care of them.” You whispering in his ear made Gabe shiver. He may be stuck in a sticky situation but he was still a man.

“What are you gonna do?” He questioned as you wrapped your arms and legs around him, in an almost childlike way, he looked like he was giving you a piggyback, but you needed to stay on him if you had any chance of keeping his strength up while not affecting the surrounding grunts. 

“Just trust me. When I start singing, go ahead and knock them out.” Gabe was surprised at your sudden lack of personal space and seemed skeptical of your claims but there was little room for argument when surrounded as he listened intently to your heart beating against his chest and your voice as it started to sing.

_ Fame is in the front seat _

_ Trouble with the kerb _

_ Mama's in the back seat _

_ Singing like a bird, oh no _

_ Take me to the good life _

Gabe felt a surge of energy through him as the pain of bullets hitting his armour seemed nonexistent, even your weight on his back wasn’t present as he punched the grunt to his right. The armoured ragdoll went flying into the inn wall, breaking one of the paintings on the wall as he landed on the floor, limp and presumably with a concussion. You kept your song going. 

_ Hanging on your words _

_ Walking in a nightmare _

_ Everything is blurred, oh no _

_ Take me to the good times _

_ Don't forget what you told me _

_ I'm a wolf in sheep's clothing _

He threw a fist towards his other side, hitting 2 of the grunts and sending them flying towards the liquor bottles behind the bar. There was a shatter, glass, bone and wood all breaking under the pressure of the force. Gabe was astounded at the strength the song was giving him as he continued to systematically fight off the grunts in hordes. Whereas last time there were merely 20, this time the inn was packed to the brim. You assumed the upper floors were searched too.

_ My blood's pumping _

_ I go on hunting _

_ The hunter, the hunted _

Slipping away like a snake, Vishkar had unwinded himself from the chaos and slipped out. He knew the fight was lost when the siren had sided with the commander. The extent of her power still astonished him, especially now that he knew the positive as well as negative effects it can inflict on a mere person. The silence aide he implanted into the grunts proved to be a hindrance as he retreated to ponder a way to retrieve his most prized possession from the grip of Overwatch. 

_ Take you to the red line _

_ Bring you with the thorns _

_ Buried deep in your mind _

_ Soldier in the war, oh no _

_ You can run but you can't hide _

The last of the grunts hit the floor as you finished your song.

“Vishkar is gone.” You noted as Gabe calmed down from his adrenaline rush.

“I’m not leaving until i get an explanation of what the fuck you just did. Here, tie the grunts up while i call clean up and medical.” 

“No.” You interrupted. “I can take care of Finn, just make sure the grunts are alive and can’t escape. If they’re conscious, do me a favour and beat them within an inch of their lives for me.” Gabe chuckled at your suggestion, clearly tempted.

“Sorry, that’s against protocol. I’ll make sure they suffer in interrogation though.” He started restraining the grunts to prevent them from moving. Some were already dead from the impact of his punches, some were bloodied and bruised but still breathing. He rounded all of them up as he looked towards you cradling Finn. You fetched a large bowl of water as you started cleaning up the wounds on Finn’s body. He was in bad shape but knowing Finn, Gabe knew that he would be able to survive this. The enhancement programme wasn’t just for show, it made superheroes, though why Finn quit after the Omnic Crisis was beyond him. 

_ This is gospel for the fallen ones _

_ Locked away in permanent slumber _

_ Assembling their philosophies _

_ From pieces of broken memories _

Gabe observed as you began to sing. Your voice was soothing and even he became filled with a strange sensation that felt almost like walking on clouds. It was soft and mellow and suddenly his aching muscles began to feel like they finally got some rest since he started his service.

_ Don't try to sleep through the end of the world _

_ Bury me alive _

_ 'Cause I won't give up without a fight _

Finn’s wounds began to disappear from his body. Colour returned to his face as he healed up without even a scar left. The more you kept singing, the more your throat burnt. Gabe was calling Overwatch clean up crews and presumably the Strike Commander to inform him of the situation, but you just wanted Finn to be okay. This was all your fault, you were the one that lived here and put him in danger because of it. The realization that Gabe and Morrison were right hit you like a truck. You were free if you were contained within the Watchpoint. Then they could help with hundreds of trained soldiers instead of just relying on Gabe and Finn. You were causing problems by staying here and you had the option to solve them, yet you were too selfish to leave the life you have behind. 

_ If you love me let me go _

_ If you love me let me go _

_ 'Cause these words are knives that often leave scars _

_ The fear of falling apart _

_ And truth be told, I never was yours _

_ The fear, the fear of falling apart _

Tears cascaded down your face in streams as your emotions finally got the better of you. Your throat burned from the implant being overworked, a sensation you haven’t felt since escaping the laboratory. It was unpleasant and would take your voice away for a few days but you had to do it. To clean up the mess your presence here had caused.

“Cleanup will be here in an hour, how’s Finn.” Gabe kneeled next to you as he wiped the tears from your face.

“This is all my fault.” You were dejected as your voice was hoarse from singing. Gabe sighed.

“You are a good person that bad things happened to, it doesn’t mean you deserve this.” Gabe patted your head, his touch was almost too soft as he comforted you. The burning in your throat wasn’t letting up as your energy was all but gone. All turned to black.

***

You were awake but not at the same time. You hear voices but you couldn’t open your eyes, your throat was still burning and you felt something cool under your neck. 

“Looks like her voice comes from a mechanical enhancement put in her neck and when she sung to give you a boost and then to heal Finn, the enhancement had overheated from extended use.” It was Dr Ziegler. You could tell from her swiss accent as you felt a hand smoothing your cheek.

“Will she recover?” Gabe was there. It must have been his hand that was on your face. It was comforting but the pain of burning far outweighed any calming effect his presence would normally have. 

“Yes, but her voice may be hoarse for a few days.” You heard heels clicking on a marble surface as they went further and further away, clearly no longer at the inn as you hoped Finn was ok.

“No matter where you are from or what happened to you, I will protect you.” You felt a squeeze on your hand as Gabe left the room and you opened your eyes once you were sure you were alone. Your throat was definitely out of commision for the next week or so, but you just wanted to know if Finn was ok. The curtains surrounding you told you that you were in a medical ward, the smell of clinical disinfectant filled your nostrils. You hated it. Looking around you saw that you were connected to a heart rate monitor which made the possibility of escape near impossible, but that didn’t mean you weren’t going to try. The gleaming pasty lights made it difficult to discern what time it actually was but you assumed it was the middle of the night as the inn situation happened in the evening as soon as you arrived there. 

You unattached the cables monitoring you as you realised you had a very short time to leave the area. You snuck out, thankful to not run into any medical personnel as you spotted Finn laying in a bed opposite your own. He was mostly hooked up for monitoring but it looked like your song had healed a lot of bruising and external damage he suffered, you don’t know the extent of his internal damage though and without that knowledge you would be unable to heal him fully. Your heart broke at seeing him like this, even more so when it was your fault. You needed some cool fresh air to clear your head as you headed for the exit.

Recognising the section of the medical ward from your tour with Captain Amari, you stayed close to the wall and tried to sneak quietly out of the building into the refreshing night air. It was a clear night as the moon shone brightly despite it merely being a half moon. The cold air soothed your throat more than anything in the medical wing ever could as you took slow deep breaths of ice into your lungs, your throat thanking you for the chill. 

“Leaving the medical ward while you’re still recovering is strictly prohibited you realise.” Gabe startled you as you attempted to form words only for a steamy breath to leave you into the night air. “It’s ok, i know your throat is still recovering from what happened. You’re at Watchpoint for now while we get the inn cleaned up. Finn is doing fine with some broken bones that will require some mending but thanks to you, he will survive.” Gabe cupped your cheek as the warmth of his hands almost felt scalding against your skin. “Thank you, you saved all three of us back there. I don’t understand how your voice works but I will forever be grateful to you.” Gabe stared into the night sky as you stared at his features illuminated in the moonlight. He was faintly smiling as his hand left you and you wondered if his heart beat just as fast as yours in this situation. “Come on, you need to rest until your voice comes back.” You retreated back to the stale medical ward under Gabe’s request, wishing you could hug him again like you did when you were singing in his ear.

***

Once Ziegler had cleared you and you were able to leave Watchpoint again, you returned to the inn to check on your room. You still had essentials back from when you escaped Vishkar with you, though not much, it held sentimental value. Your room was wrecked just as much as the rest of the inn, your guitar smashed to pieces, the piano missing most of its keys as the small bonsai sitting on your window sill was still salvageable. It was a little dry but far from dead as you put the bulk of the tree root along with some dirt into a plastic bag and made sure the tree wouldn’t break. Gabe had come with you at Finn’s request, though you were still riddled with guilt at the thought of what you made Finn go through all because of you.

“It’s ok, my parents had left me their old house back in my hometown which has been sitting there unused. I’ll move back and find work there. Talon won’t be able to find me at least. I want you to stay here with Gabe, he can protect you against them while i cannot.” Your heart broke as you recalled Finn’s words when he had woken up. He was still in recovery but as with any super soldier made from SEP, he will recover a week or two from now, whereas your voice was still hoarse. The burning was gone but the pain of hurting Finn wasn’t and nightmares of needles and scientist cutting you limb from limb haunted you since the incident. You couldn’t sleep for long, yet you were thankful that the night air was crisp and cold, cooling your racing adrenaline down from the frightening images your mind was forcing on you. 

Gabe had come to collect most of Finn’s possessions as he said he would help Finn move, hence the large cargo plane outside of the wrecked inn. The building itself was almost unrecognisable as the windows were broken, various liquors and alcoholic mixtures stained the wooden flooring behind the bar along with blood and remnants of glass mixed into the nightmare of a stain. The tables and chairs that used to be filled with customers were now broken and in disarray across the barroom floor. Everything that happened here broke your heart. This was your home for the last few months and not only were you leaving it behind, you forced Finn out due to the threat of more Talon agents coming to hunt him down. Your stomach twisted as you realised you had been staring at the floor for a solid minute before Gabe interrupted.

“Stop thinking this was your fault. I already told you, you’re a good person that bad things have happened to. Finn doesn’t blame you for this and neither do I.” Gabe slowly embraced you in his arms as his warmth brought you back to reality. You hadn’t even realised that you started crying at some point while looking at the mess of a building this has turned into. You didn’t want to leave Gabe’s arms, it was the most comfort you felt in the last week and you wished it would last, yet he withdrew as he continued to carry the boxes he had packed into the plane. 

“It was me they were after, yet you all got hurt.” You whispered hoping Gabe didn’t hear your depressed musings. His ears though were surprisingly good at picking up sounds.

“Wren, I will personally come over there and slap this nonsense out of you. We do what we must to protect our family and friends. I will always do whatever it takes to protect you. They can send army upon army of footsoldiers and i will still fight them head on just to see you smile again.” Gabe’s confession had you blushing bright red as you looked at him with a shocked expression. The amount of love behind his words had you reeling as it hit you just how much you had fallen for Gabriel Reyes, and at the idea that maybe he returned your affections. 

You climbed on board as Gabe loaded the last box onto the ship. Your stuff was loaded on too, not that there was much. You had a few outfits and one of them was simply your work uniform. You didn’t have the money to afford more and the stuff Finn gifted you was already special as it is, you weren’t going to ask for more when you were already lucky enough to get so much. And yet Finn was now in medical care because of you. 

“We need to get you some more clothes, there’s barely anything here.” You felt like crying from Gabe’s kindness. He had shown you nothing but love and compassion and you refused to even do the one thing he asked of you. Was joining Overwatch really the only way you could repay him? 

“I can’t Gabe. Thank you for all the kindness you’ve shown me but i can’t accept anything more than the bare necessities. I’m lucky to still even have a place to go after ruining the inn.” He wrapped an arm around your shoulders to comfort you.

“I told you already, I will do anything I can to protect you so please, just let me help you.” You cried in Gabe’s arms again as your emotions broke and the plane left the deserted inn behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used (in order):  
Adam Jensen - The Hunter  
Panic! At The Disco - This is Gospel


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No songs this chapter, it's a bit heavy. Good things are coming though... Also this isn't proof read, apologies for any mistakes or errors.

You got back to base with swollen eyes and presumably, Gabe with a wet shirt. 

“Here let’s take your boxes and I’ll show you to your room.” Gabe lifted one of your clothing boxes as you put your bonsai on top of the box full of miscellaneous trinkets you had. It wasn’t large so you could at least see ahead of you. After your outburst you have no energy left to argue with Gabe as he took you towards a building you didn’t recognise.

“I thought the barracks were behind the training area.” You questioned Gabe. You were on edge again as you wondered if he was leading you to a prison cell.

“That’s for soldiers and it’s communal. I’m taking you to the singular rooms reserved for visitors and higher ranks.” 

“Oh… okay.” You didn’t have the strength in you to argue that you didn’t belong there. Then again, you didn’t belong in this facility, still disagreeing to join the ranks of soldiers here. You entered a smaller building situated near a communications tower with a gym stationed underneath it, storage warehouses lining the horizon behind it. You were led into an elevator as it took you to the top floor, Gabe pulling a keycard out of his pocket as you saw the nameplates on each door.

_ Jack Morrison _

_ Ana Amari _

You looked at the door Gabe just unlocked with its plain nameplate and stepped inside behind him. The room was a large open plan studio apartment, to one side you saw a plush single bed, complete with a fluffy blanket and pillows that looked like they were about to burst. In the centre of the area was a coffee table with a plain sofa.

“Watch this.” Gabe set down the box he was holding as he walked up to the coffee table, pulling the top up as it extended into a small dining table, foldable chairs being stored underneath it. Opposite the sofa was a small kitchen with a breakfast bar, the spotlights creating a warm glow on the countertops. The kitchen only had 3 cupboards and a small fridge freezer but it was enough for one person, especially when you assumed most people ate at the giant food court. Glancing over the room once more, you saw by the window sat a large piano.

“Does this come in all the rooms?” You asked monotonously, pointing towards the piano and guitar sitting by its side. 

“Those are gifts for you.” Gabe smiled at you. He truly wanted you to feel at home and having you closer to him meant he could listen to your singing whenever he was home. 

“Gabe, I…” You were at a loss for words. A part of you still wanted to reject his kindness but you knew that all you can do is accept it and be thankful that he has decided to be so generous to you. “Thank you.” Your smile wouldn’t return for a while but you hoped Gabe would understand that. 

“Get settled in. Do you want me to show you to the food courts again?” 

“I’m not hungry Gabe. Thank you though.” You lied. Gabe knew that you lied. You hadn’t eaten all day and even while you were recovering, you refused to eat more than once a day. He was definitely worried for your health and the dark circles under your eyes were increasing day by day. 

“I’ll bring you food later. Please promise to eat.” Gabe walked up to you as you were embraced once more. The comfort of his embrace always gave you a brief comfort that never lasted long, though the moment it lasted your worries and pain melted for a second. 

“I’m sorry Gabe, but I can’t promise anything.” He looked at you with a disapproving look as you stared at the floor once more lost in nothingness as you tried to come to terms with yourself.

“Either way, I’ll be back to check up on you. Here.” Gabe handed you a keycard. “You can use this around the facility to get around. I’m in the room next to yours if you need anything. Athena is also there if you need something.” With that, he left the room and you were alone again. The way it should have always been.

***

All you wanted was to be alone. Finn was recovering slowly yet you couldn’t bring yourself to go and see him. Nightmares still plagued your sleep as you woke in a cold sweat almost every day, thankful that this side of the base was quiet enough for you to be able to break the 10 pm curfew in order to get some fresh air outside. Gabe has been watching over you like a hawk, coming every day at least once to make sure you’re fed, and if it wasn’t him it was Jesse which you dreaded even more. He wasn’t a bad guy you found out slowly, but you did not want to be around someone so sociable especially when you were so irritable. Jesse became a more frequent visitor than Gabe as you began to miss the commander’s occasional hugs. 

“So,” Jesse dug into his burrito, having brought an entire mexican feast for both you and himself. “When are we having our rematch out on the shooting range?” You lacked the mood to even laugh at his comment.

“Never.” He sighed at your blunt answer. Even though this was just the way you were around him, he knew it was different than that day you beat him. You were clearly struggling still.

“Listen, you beating yourself up over the actions of Talon is ridiculous. Darlin’, no one died. Bruises and broken bones can heal. The important thing is everyone is alive.” Jesse’s kind words didn’t reach you. Nothing did.

“Jesse, I’m not in the mood. Please just stop.” You continued to pick away at your food little by little, yet the thought of eating just made you sick. Normally, melodies of emotions fill your head; happiness, sadness, rage, calm. But the silence that overtook you since that day hasn’t left. It was thick and drained your soul of all your songs. The guitar and piano were collecting dust the past few weeks as you scarcely looked at them, let alone touched them. 

Jesse stood from his place at the table and readjusted his hat.

“I’m not going to let you rot away in your own misery. Gabe won’t be back for another week and I know how much you miss him, you’re an open book sweetheart. I’m taking you out to meet some of the colourful personalities around here. Sitting here stagnating ain’t doing nothing to lift your mood. Be ready at 5pm sharp.” Before you could even protest Jesse’s ridiculous notion, he had left you alone with plates of food and your own thoughts. Going outside was the last thing you wanted while you were still wallowing in your own guilt. 

***

You dreaded the day as the hands on the clock moved closer and closer to 5pm. All you had were standard overwatch tracksuits as your one outfit you normally wore to go outside was still wet from being recently washed. You didn’t think your choice of clothing was a problem until Jesse turned up at your door with a face you’ve never seen before.

“Why on earth are you wearing that rag?” You felt offended by his comment as you retaliated.

“To be fair, you didn’t specify that I needed to dress like I was leaving the base.”

“Well we are, come on. You need some new clothes you poor fashion disaster.” Jesse wasn’t having any of your protests as he pulled you along with him and the fresh face next to him simply laughed cheerfully.

“Mccree! Don’t scare her already.” the chipper voice was bright and fluffy as Mccree stopped in his tracks, you bumping into his back.

“Can’t you see we got a fashion emergency on our hands, Lena.” Lena continued to giggle as Jesse’s serious tone was starting to make you laugh a little as well. How overdramatic. 

“Relax cowboy, I’m out of my room you could at least let go of me.” Jesse smiled at your laughter. It was the first time since coming here that he saw you laugh even a little bit.

“Since the shops are closed, how about we check out ol’ Bern’s workshop. He’s bound to have some civilian clothing in there.” You looked at Jesse confused as you haven’t heard the name previously, nor were you aware that there was a workshop in this base.

“Good idea, I miss the old geezer. Plus the shops outside of base are probably just cheap rags only barely better than that tragic tracksuit.” Lena piped up as the two of them dragged you around. You were entering a part of the base you didn’t even know existed. Various boxes lined an open warehouse space as you were taken deeper inside, the hallway passing through some open doors to what looked like an armoury and weapons storage room as you heard the faint buzzing of a saw in the background. The entire building smelt of grit and coal as you tried not to faint from the lack of oxygen. Surely Overwatch could afford ventilation in their weapon’s storage unit. 

You were led past all that down the hallway into the very last room, a plaque on the door reading ‘Clothing Storage’ slowly gathering rust. 

Entering the room was one hell of a shock. There were racks lining the walls full of clothing, from work uniforms to ballroom gowns and tuxedos. You stared in awe at the array of colours you were exposed to as Mccree and Lena smiled to each other seeing your look of wonder as for once, you weren’t as expressionless as always. At one of the tables littered with fabric and sewing materials sat an old man, his hair turning from grey to white and wrinkles lining every single one of his features.

“Good evening' Bern, how’re ya?” Mccree waved to the elderly man as his glasses slid slightly as he looked up from his work.

“Ah Jesse, to what do I owe this visit.” He took his glasses off as he smiled and waved to Lena who was quietly standing with you as Jesse made small talk.

“We were looking for a new wardrobe for this dear darlin’” Jesse pointed to your startled face as you realised you had become the centre of attention all of a sudden.

“Any particular reason? Or is that terrible tracksuit the only thing she owns.” 

“Affirmative.” 

“Hey, it isn’t the only thing, my outfit was still drying is all.” You interjected blushing as Bern looked at you disapprovingly.

“Well I can’t ignore a fashion disaster when I see one. My name is Bernard, people just call me Bern. Lena can you assist me in getting this young girl’s measurements while I find some clothes that look like they would fit. Mccree make yourself useful and bring us all some coffee. It’s going to be some time.” before you knew it, you had no choice as Lena whisked you away to a fitting room with some measuring tape and started filling a piece of paper out with all your measurements. You had no room to protest as once your measurements were taken, Bern had come back with 50 or so different articles of clothing. Seeing your measurements, he carefully placed 10 or so back before flinging you back into the fitting room in order to try them on one by one. The process took hours as the coffee Mccree had brought you began to go cold. Eventually, you managed to narrow down everything to 10 pieces of clothing.

“Perfect. And with that, you have your new wardrobe Miss.” Bern had a gleaming look of pride on him as you looked at all 10 pieces. One was a casual ombre blue dress that ruffled at the ends, with no sleeves at the top though thankfully, it didn't expose your cleavage to the air and the material was oddly comforting. Then there was the ripped blue jeans and white summer shirt that exposed your midriff and shoulders, though thankfully not translucent and left your bra hidden. A leather jacket, a large long sleeved sweater that hung on you like a dress, some shorts. You were overwhelmed at the amount you had been given as Lena interjected.

“I’ll take you into town tomorrow, since it’s my day off. We can go shopping for lingerie and other stuff then.” She winked and giggled at you as one shock simply followed another. 

“Wait, I don’t have any money to spend, I'm sure my lingerie is fine as it i-” You were cut off again by an overexcited Lena.

“Don’t worry about it, I can pay. How else are you going to impress the love of your life?” She winked again and you started to sweat thinking that everyone but Gabe knew about your crush on him. Lena’s comment had officially knocked you out of the park and you could do nothing but stutter as the two of them thanked Bern and led you to the common area.

It was already 9pm by then and most soldiers had decided to have an early night, though didn’t mean that the common area was empty. Some were socialising, others simply unwinding with a good book and some music. The small section with a mic stand and amp caught your attention as you decided against singing so late at night when you were already drained from having to change your clothes so many times. In the corner of your eye, you spotted Captain Amari drinking tea by the window, hoping to avoid the perceptive woman as much as possible, especially after Lena’s comment earlier had caused you to turn bright red and the effect still hasn’t faded. 

“Fancy some booze darlin’” Mccree took his hat off and set it on a nearby table as Lena beckoned you to sit down with her. 

“Got any vodka? I need something to knock me out for the next week.” Lena frowned at your serious comment.

“Hey no alcohol today cowboy, I’m kidnapping Wren out of base tomorrow and don’t need to deal with someone with a hangover.” 

“Sure thing.” Mccree disappeared presumably to get himself something strong. You envied him. You didn’t want to avoid Lena’s invitation but after the circus of a day that you just had, you really wished you could drink yourself into a stupor. 

"Mccree hasn't told me much about you? So how did you become a part of Overwatch then love?" Lena's innocence made her comment bearable as you tried not to respond with hatred in your tone.

"I'm not a part of Overwatch. I used to live in an Inn with Gab- with a friend of Commander Reyes. I was told to move here after the inn got destroyed in an attack." You knew Finn was gone by now back to his parents' old home. He left with Gabe and you haven't seen either of them since, though Gabe promised he would give you a phone to contact Finn. You just couldn't find it in yourself to accept such a gift. 

"Oh so you and the Commander are close then." Lena giggled as you blushed and stuttered.

"I wouldn't say that, I met him as a result of living with Finn. He was only a customer and I just happened to become friends with him because of Finn there's nothing there."

"Are you sure?" Lena was teasing you as you bury your head in your hands. Never have you wanted to disappear more than now. 

"Well excuse me for buttin' into your conversation there." For once, you couldn't be happier that Mccree had shown up as you attempted to change the subject entirely.

"Hey Jesse, where'd you get the Mexican food from that you brought. It was tasty as hell." McCree smiled in pride towards you as Lena interrupted.

"Hey don't change the subject. You totally have a crush on the Commander." You groaned at Lena's persistence as she refused to drop the subject.

"I thought it was obvious considering she only ever let's Gabe in her room without scowling like she just saw you kick a puppy." McCree and Lena were both teasing you at this point as you just face plant onto the table. You were not looking forward to your life here. Meanwhile, on the table by the window,a smile crossed Ana’s face as she finished off her tea.

***

You were awoken by a knock at your door as you really contemplated ignoring it before considering the possibility of Lena following through on her threat to tell Gabe how you feel. Your disheveled appearance was the least of your problems as you opened the door to find Lena and another woman you haven't met greet you.

"Get dressed love, it's time for a major shopping spree. Oh and my girlfriend is tagging along if ya don't mind." Lena was as bright as the midday sun and you never wanted a storm to come in more in your life than you did now.

"Hello there, I'm Emily, nice to meet you." Emily was a refreshing break from the enthusiasm of Lena. You can see why the two fit together so well as they both had something the other lacked. Fitting together like a jigsaw.

“Lena, I really don’t want to-”

“Save the chit chat for later, come on we have some shopping to do.” Lena interrupted your train of thought as she pushed you back into your room and flung one of the outfits from yesterday towards you. “Oh, and I’ll get some breakfast, be back in a jiffy.” And just like that, she was gone again.

“How do you deal with that much enthusiasm, Emily?” You were genuinely curious at this point as Lena reminded you of a skittish rabbit, constantly jumping from place to place.

“She has her charms.” Emily giggled as you got about starting to get ready. By the time you got out the shower, Lena was just returning from her scavenging spree for breakfast as she brings in 2 full bags of plastic containers, each filled with breakfast foods, as well as 3 mugs of coffee. How she managed to carry that much in one go, you will never know. 

“Eat up, we have a long day ahead of us.” You weren’t a morning person. Never were. Another reason why Overwatch was out of the question as your regular morning zombie state would cause more than a few casualties, intentional or not. “Oh by the way Wren,when are you going to confess to Commander Reyes?” Lena laughed with a mouthful of croissant as you blushed violently at her question. The teasing scared you more than answering as you knew the walls had ears. And those ears were called Athena. 

“How about never.” your retort was followed by disapproving groans.

“You can’t ignore love sweety.” While Emily’s sentiment was sweet, the thought of confessing to Gabe scared you more than anything in the world. You had nothing to fear, you knew he liked you based on how he treats you, but the very idea of confessing to him made you nauseous. You’ve annoyed him enough with your own problems, dropping an i love you bomb on him would be too much for both you and him. 

As soon as you finished your food, without a moment's notice, the two of them had dragged you outside towards the parking bay and into a small holo car with barely enough room for you to squeeze in. 

“Don’t we need permission to leave base?” anxiety took hold of you at the thought of being quarantined within the base simply for not following orders.

“Taken care of, Captain Amari gave us clearance earlier this morning.” Lena giggled as she stepped on the pedal, the sudden speed making you jostle a little. The breeze from the open car window did wake you a slightly as the breath of fresh air made you miss the outside world. The desolate wasteland surrounding you started to morph into a more suburban landscape and before you could register, you were in the middle of a packed high street as Lena parked on the side of the road, dragging you along into a lingerie store.

“Time to get you something so irresistible that the commander will have to marry you.” Lena’s comment made you groan as the girls laughed, however you were far from enjoying yourself. Looking around, the store was far more luxurious than you have ever stepped foot in let alone bought from. The windows were lined with sets of underwear that looked like something from a Hollywood movie, accentuating the breasts and legs of even the plastic mannequins that were showcasing them. Lena was already busy ogling the various designs of lace and silk that could barely be considered undergarments while Emily looked deep in thought as she examined some of the more conservative looking designs on the walls. You were just astonished at the price tags. One piece of lingerie was worth more than your entire wardrobe and suddenly, your stomach was doing backflips and your palms became clammy. 

“Lena, remind me again why everything here is so expensive.” You piped up.

“I told you, I’m paying, and by I’m paying I mean McCree lost a bet to me and I have taken his credit card hostage.” You laughed at Lena’s cunning plot. Despite her cheerful attitude, hell hath no fury like a short British woman. “Oh, this is perfect for you! If i remember you’re a size…” Lena muttered under her breath as she yanked one of the hangers off the rack, a matching set with a bra and panties, completely black with red lace accentuating the underside of the bra, and completely black silken panties with red lace bows at the hip junctions, accompanied with a lace trim around the waistband.

“Lena…” You groaned as her giggle quickly became the sign of your doom.

*** 

One shopping spree and a milkshake later, you found yourself walking the highstreet and stretching your legs for the first time in a while. The fresh air was starting to blow away your blues and in your newly found confidence, you finally managed to call Finn and apologise for all the trouble you caused him. He was more than understanding and even said you had nothing to apologise for, but the guilt wouldn’t leave even with his reassurance. His family home was apparently still well intact and he was planning to open up a local cafe nearby in the small town where he now lived. You wished him all the best as you hang up the phone, a weight lifting off your chest finally as you suddenly got the urge to sing and music once more consumed your thoughts. Within your little reverie, you failed to notice the skin rising on your neck as you returned to base that evening. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EMOTIONS. Lots and lots of emotions. Also I may or may not need to clear my browser history after searching up how to induce a coma. Songs mentioned will be at the end in the order mentioned, as usual.

You returned to your room to find a godly aroma wafting across the entire place as well as Gabe standing in your small kitchen area with a pan full of what looked like vegetable stir fry.

“Glad to see you had a fun day.” He turned his attention to you as he eyed the bags in your hand curiously. Your attempt to sneak past him was unsuccessful as all you wanted to do after the stressful chaos that was your day out was to collapse in bed and sleep for the next week, but the thundering in your chest caused by Gabe standing there with a smirk on his face made you more clammy than calling Finn earlier, though for an entirely different reason now.

“Please don’t mention it. I was forced against my will.” You sighed as Gabe chuckled. He was glad you were feeling better than when he left. Seeing you so depressed and closed off hurt him and all he wanted to do was take you away and keep you safe. 

“How do you like the company here? I’d say they’re slightly more tolerable than drunkards on a Friday night.” Gabe chuckled as you groaned at the memory of Lena’s teasing.

“Remind me to not answer my door next time someone knocks.” He laughed heartily at your comment as you set down your bags next to your bed. “So, what’s for dinner commander?” You curiously eyed Gabe plating the dish as your mouth watered at the sight of the vegetable stir fry.

“Vegetable stir fry. And that will be $9.99 for one.” 

“Are you opening a restaurant now, commander?” He chuckled as he placed both plates down at the table.

“Only if you could be my waitress.” the blush on your cheeks was hard to miss after that comment.

“Sorry, I’m afraid my services are too expensive for such an establishment.” Your exaggerated movements made Gabe burst into a fit of giggles as his laughter made you fall even deeper in love with the man in front of you. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t miss Gabe in the time he was gone, but you weren’t about to admit that to him. You wanted to win this little mind game you two played between yourselves in order to pry a secret or 2 from the other. Neither you nor Gabe confirmed that you were playing this unspoken game, but you both had a stubbornness to see it through to the end. And to win. 

“Eat up quick before it gets cold. My payment can be hearing about your week since it seems to have been quite eventful.” Gabe laughed as he started shoveling the stir fry into his mouth as if he was starved for the last week. 

****

The apartment was eerie without Gabe to brighten the mood. Even the moonlight couldn’t get rid of your paranoia that someone was here with you. The insomnia hasn’t gone away, yet you don’t want to concern Dr Ziegler when she was busy treating actual heroes, and you, well you were just a powerless girl too scared to even join the fight. Your mind wouldn’t let you sleep so you decided to sing for now to ease the anxiety, hoping your own power would calm you down. 

_ I'd like to make myself believe that planet earth turns slowly _

_ It's hard to say that I'd rather stay awake when I'm asleep _

_ 'Cause everything is never as it seems _

Feeling the piano keys again had given you a sense of nostalgia. You don’t remember much about your life before you woke up in the Vishkar Laboratory that day but you do remember all the songs your mother would sing for you, despite not remembering her face you still remembered her voice. A lot of older people seemed to take a liking to your singing even when you didn’t use your siren voice, the power of nostalgia never fails. Reminiscing had made you remember a lullaby that your mother would sing as you played out the melody on the piano.

_ Don't come to question _

_ All that you've known _

_ Remember: you are not alone _

_ I will be here, standing beside you _

_ There is no mountain _

_ Too tall to overcome _

_ We will be as one _

_ You will rise again _

_ This is your legacy _

_ Rise again _

_ This is your legacy _

The tears started to roll down your cheeks as you wished you could remember everything before Vishkar. Your memory is never coming back, and you knew it wasn’t, despite the faint glimpses and odd dreams. As far as you were concerned, your family was dead, if they were still alive then surely they would have looked, surely they would have moved heaven and earth to find you. They loved you… Didn’t they?

A hand came over your mouth.

“Don’t make a sound now Siren. It’s time you come home.” The voice was next to your ear as his arm was wrapped around your midsection. You struggled as hard as you could muster. “We have a lovely new job for you, our dear little Siren, but until then just sl-” Before the intruder could utter another word, you bit his hand and let out a blood curdling scream that shook the building. Your siren voice was still on and the scream rocked the very foundations of your little home, it would be a miracle if anyone in the entire base was still asleep. “You couldn’t just cooperate could you.” Screams. Screams were all you could manage as the intruder forced a dagger into your side. You felt a cold sensation as you realised that you were being injected with something.

The panic set in as you tried to reach for something, anything, to fight back, the powerlessness you felt at the inn came rushing back you as you felt your limbs grow limp. You began to sing in your frenzy, anything to get the intruder off your back as screams of agony left your throat in the form of a melody.

_ I will suffer _

_ I will burn _

_ Let hate prevail _

_ Enslave my soul _

_ but I'll never surrender _

Your throat burned in agony as you were forced onto the floor, the sharp object still in your side as the intruder started kicking your sides in. “That won’t work sweetheart, give it up and come quietly.” The bruising assault from the intruders kicks continued as your eyesight grew blurry, the shadows blurring with the moonlight. You grew limp as you felt your body getting picked up.

“Let her go now.” The door to your room was forced open as Gabe’s voice sent a pang of relief into you. If you could just help. If only you were of some use. You didn’t need to. 

“Shit, I’ll be back for you, Siren.” The intruder quickly let you go and leaped out of your window as you heard sirens throughout base, yet they were getting further and further away. “Wren! Hang in there, Ziegler is on her way, just listen to me Wren. Stay conscious come on Wren, I know you can do it…” Gabes voice was quickly getting quieter as you try to focus on what he is saying with little success. The sound of your mother’s singing once again filled your head.

******

“How long until she wakes up?”

“It’s hard to say, she was injected with a chemical that has similar effects to a horse tranquilizer. Coupled with her injuries, we don’t know when she will become conscious again, let alone recover enough to move.”   
“And her security?”

“We have surveillance on the building in case someone shows up, but we cannot afford to have people stationed to guard her, especially since Talon have been more active across the world lately and we need all the manpower we can get.”

“I see.”

******

“Reyes are you insane. She’s just a girl, and you’re abandoning your duties to look after her. Have you lost your mind.”

“She has power that Talon wants. Not to mention she isn’t just some girl. If you have a problem Morrison, I suggest thinking about how many would die if her powers were under Talon’s beck and call.”

“You’ve gone insane Reyes.”

“Perhaps.”

*****

“How’re things looking Doc?”

“She’s in a stable condition but the tranquiliser is still in her system, at least her internal organs have healed completely, though her ribs might take some time. We are just waiting for her to wake up now.”

“It’s my turn to take watch, Reyes was dragged out by Morrison for a mission.”

“Good luck, if you notice anything let me know immediately.”

“Will do, Doc.”

*****

“Dear, you have no idea what you have done to Reyes. I may have known him since the crisis but I have never seen someone make him this passionate. He even asked me to keep an eye on you. You truly are something else. When you wake up, I hope you’ll have some tea with me sometime.” 

*****

Darkness. You couldn’t move. The aching in your muscles reminded you of the day Vishkar found you. The smell of clinical sterilizer. Was it happening again. Were they going to stick needles in your flesh, carve you like a piece of meat. No. You had to get away. You had to run. Run. Run. Run.

Darkness.

*****

Pierced flesh. You felt the needle. You hated it. Your muscles twitched. You had to run away. Run away. Run away.

******

“Any news Doc? The Ol’ man is worried sick, he hasn’t left his office just so he could get rid of the paperwork and come watch over her.”

“Her brain waves show signs of activity. She’s semi conscious but it looks like the drugs are still in her system. She twitched earlier as I was replacing her IV drop though so she is showing signs of improvement.”

“Stay right there doc, I gotta report this to Reyes pronto. The guy is gonna lose his mind when he hears this.”

*****

Something warm. Something cold. Water. Tears. Hands. You felt someone’s hands on yours. 

“You’ll wake up soon. I know you will.”

Gabe…

*****

The darkness broke. Your eyelids finally obeyed you as you were met with the dimmed lights of a hospital room. You remembered Gabe was here, this wasn’t a Vishkar lab, you heard voices in the darkness from people you recognised, warm voices with concern in them, voices with a power that was different from yours. You heard glimpses of them and now it all made sense. You tried moving your hand little by little but the needle of the IV was keeping you from moving it as freely as you would like. The aching in your midsection was hard to ignore, even with what you assumed to be painkillers flowing through you. Your head refused to move despite your attempts, your elbows also did not cooperate. At least you could feel and move your toes. The sound of heels clicking down the hall distracted you.

“Oh my, I hope you haven’t been awake for too long all alone. You experienced quite the trauma, are you able to speak, Wren?” Dr Ziegler's voice relaxed you as you realised you weren’t tied down to an operating table, simply too sore to move from the bed. You tried to speak but your throat failed you and all you could manage was a small cough as your body involuntarily moved, making the soreness and pain all the more present.

“Don’t push yourself, you’re still in recovery. For now, let me perform some tests and fill you in on what happened.”

*****

You were in a coma for 2 months. The intruder that got into your room was a Talon assassin. He injected you with a mixture of anesthetic and paralytic drugs, causing the system to go into a drug induced coma. The effects haven’t fully worn off but most of the drug has left your system by now. Three broken ribs and a severe wound near your liver healed completely while you were in a coma but your muscles were jelly and you would probably need physiotherapy, especially since you were unable to be moved for a while due to your broken ribs.

“The chaos Commander Reyes has caused after that attack is astonishing. He really cares about you, Wren. I know you do not wish to take part in Overwatch, I fully understand not wanting to be a part of this violence, but some self defense training might do you some good, especially with Talon after you.” Ziegler knew where you stood on joining Overwatch, and had she not wanted to make the world a better place, she would be with you outside of the organisation, trying her best. But she needed to help people. She couldn’t ignore those dying out in the world because of a lack of help and care. 

**** 

The days passed slowly. Gabe visited you constantly, but you weren’t able to talk for an entire week after waking up. His insistence that you join Overwatch became more and more annoying as you zoned him out and tried to focus on calming your panic. You didn’t want Talon to keep doing this to you. But your choices were limited. The more Gabe spoke about you joining Overwatch, the more you realised it was your only option. You had no training of any kind, you can’t protect yourself if your voice is rendered useless. 

Each day, Gabe came to talk to you about anything and everything. Even with his constant nagging about joining Overwatch, you enjoyed listening to the in between stories he had about his early days with Ana and Morrison. The stories kept you sane and made you realise how you had no recollection of anything before Vishkar, your life was taken from you and all you wanted was a new one.

“Gabe… Could you tell me about your family?” Your voice was still hoarse but you managed to start speaking and Dr Ziegler managed to get you sitting upright despite your partial paralysis. 

“On one condition.” Gabe’s smirks were never a good sign, not for your sanity or for your heart and cheeks. “You tell me about yours.” You sighed in defeat.

“You win, Commander. I don’t have any memories prior to Vishkar finding me but…”

“But?”

“All the songs I sing, I remember my mother singing them to me when I was a child. I don’t remember her face, but her voice was so soothing and calming to listen to. She obviously wasn’t altered like I was, but remembering her voice helps me get through a lot of hardships.”

“Do you really not remember your family?”

“No. I get glimpses of a burning house in my nightmares. Of my mother screaming with that same voice that soothes me. I do not know my family but I do know that they are no longer alive.” Gabe looked at you with a mixture of confusion and shock. “I fulfilled my deal Commander, now tell me about your family.” Gabe still had more questions for you but for now, he was thankful you were able to talk to him and that you gave him some insight into your life.

Gabe’s family were killed in the Crisis. He himself was gravely injured and in a bid to try and fight despite everything that happened, he joined the Soldier Enhancement Programme. Through his own determination he managed to become one of the founding members of Overwatch. 

“Looks like we both lack a family.” You looked to your hands as you tried to gather your thoughts and what you wanted to say.

“This is my family. The people here infuriate me to no end, but I wouldn’t trade them for the world. That’s why I will always fight for them.” Gabe looked to you. “That’s why I want you to join my family.” The sincerity in his tone almost scared you. Commitment was never your strong suit, but you knew that you felt something for Gabe that you have never felt for anyone else since you got out of that lab. 

_ There's something in the way you roll your eyes _

_ Takes me back to a better time _

_ When I saw everything is good _

_ But now you're the only thing that's good _

Your siren voice was still turned on, but you wanted Gabe to feel the same sincerity that he had given you. You wanted your feelings to be known, even if it wasn’t in the most straightforward way possible. 

_ Tryna stand up on my own two feet _

_ This conversation ain't comin' easily _

_ And darling, I know it's getting late _

_ So what do you say we leave this place? _

The helplessness you felt whenever you were attacked, Gabe was always there to help you. He was always the one to calm you down. To you, he was worth more than family, but you’re not one to turn down family when you have so little anyway. 

_ Walk me home in the dead of night _

_ I can't be alone with all that's on my mind, mhm _

_ So say you'll stay with me tonight _

_ 'Cause there is so much wrong going on outside _

“Wow. I forgot how amazing your voice can be.” This warm and fuzzy feeling in Gabe’s chest was nothing new, but it was the first time he was forced to feel that way through the Siren’s singing. He felt honoured to have earned your trust. To have someone so incredible still struggle to survive, you reminded him of himself back when he was powerless to help his own parents. The nightmares still haunt him every now and then, that day he vowed to always protect those close to him. Gabe never once doubted his abilities in combat, but seeing you on the floor bleeding out in your own apartment when he lived just down the hall, that was the first time he has felt true fear in years. For the first time in years, he felt compassion and… love. 

“I always used to ask Finn why it is that he joined the military.” You reminisce on your days with Finn at his small inn. “He told me people do stupid things when they have something left to protect. I can understand him now that i finally found something I myself wish to protect.” You looked to Gabe with a determination you didn’t know you possessed. 

“I’ll join Overwatch.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs:  
Owl City - Fireflies  
Devil May Cry 5 - Legacy (Main Theme)  
Combichrist - Never Surrender  
P!nk - Walk Me Home


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: I have no idea how the military works nor do I care, this is purely a work of fiction. That said, sorry this took so long to get out. i tend to write whenever i feel like however, sometimes i have these little things called deadlines and projects and being an art student is sometimes very stressful. As always, this isn't proof read so take any mistakes with a grain of salt. Songs listed at the end.

“Here’s your trainee card. While you are training you’ll be situated in the barracks near the training range. You’ll be provided with a uniform and your schedule will be determined at the initial briefing. I won’t be able to protect you but I have faith in Morrison and Amari, good luck Wren.” Gabe pulled you into one final hug, though no amount of reassurance could make you feel better about the choice you have made. 

“Gabe, why do you think that birds fly?” You couldn't bring yourself to turn around to look at him as you asked.

“To live. A bird that cannot fly is no bird at all.” His answer was short but you understood. This was a matter of necessity, not some delusions of grandeur that you will become a hero among heroes. To live you need to fly. 

“I hope I can fly with you someday, Commander.” You heard no reply as you walked down the hall towards the trainee area for the introductions.

****

Recovering from the hospital took you months, far longer than you had hoped. By the time you got out, the air was cool and crisp and the trees and surrounding area lifeless, swaying to the sounds of the howling wind. Empty. The worst part was filling out forms in order to start training to be an agent. You weren’t an idiot. You knew your real name, but the fact that revealing that would cause an uproar didn’t escape you either. Thankfully, Gabe and Dr.Ziegler helped you. In fact, Angela helped ease your worries about everything, becoming your newest friend. Tracer and McCree stopped by regularly to help keep you from losing your mind, and Ana offered a surprising amount of tea while talking about topics you wished you could avoid. She was able to discern that you had feelings for Gabe, and now you feared the woman to an extent that you didn’t think possible. However, talking to her about her young daughter, her job, her life, it became clear that there was a sombre tale there that made you pity her too. Birds fly to live, but once a bird knows how to live it can be trained. That is what you despised about any organisation like Overwatch, like Talon, like Vishkar. Their goals do not matter, they all destroy lives in order to claim they are achieving their goals. Joining Overwatch was a necessity, and you hated it.

****

The barracks were quite cramped, but seeing as they were temporary until the recruits were trained, you didn’t mind so much. Besides, there was a secluded spot behind the building with a couple stacks of crates which looked sturdy enough to climb, and finding a quiet place to relax was your first priority in this fresh hell that you’ve gotten yourself into. Each room in the barracks housed 6 people, with a chest in front of each bed and a locker per recruit. The introductions weren’t anything special, though the communal aspect of the barracks was going to kill you eventually. There was no such thing as personal space in these walls and you could tell as soon as you walked in as you were greeted by your roommates with a pat on the back or a hug. 

“I’m Jo, nice to meet ya, where are you from then.” Her thick country accent already told you more than any question you could have asked.

“Wren. Nice to meet you.” You attempted to avoid contact with anyone else, paranoia kicking in as you remembered that even the Overwatch base isn’t immune to Talon attacks, nor Talon spies.

“Wren huh. You’re the infamous girl who shut the base down for a week then.” Another woman piped up from behind you. “Taro. Nice to meet you.” Despite her words, her tone of voice seemed friendly. But you trusted no one. 

Avoiding dinner as long as you possibly could before getting noticed, you climbed onto the rooftop of your barracks building with the storage containers as leverage. Though not the most adept at climbing surfaces, you learnt how to when trying to run from Vishkar. Sleeping on rooftops may not be the safest of options, but it was the cheapest. The crisp evening air refreshed you as the stress of the last week melted away. You wanted to talk with Gabe, but he left for a mission in Cape Town after he gave you your trainee card, though he won’t return until the last month of your training. What he last said to you still haunts you.

“A bird that cannot fly is no bird at all.” Were you really born a bird? Do you really need to fly in order to live? As you looked out into the night sky, all you could do is let the wind blow away your thoughts with it.

_ So sick of wasting all my time _

_ How in God's name did I survive?  _

_ I need a little sympathy _

_ Disarm my insecurities _

_ Our consciences are always so much heavier than our egos _

_ I set my expectations high _

_ So nothing ever comes out right _

You opened your eyes to see McCree had managed to fumble his way up the storage containers to join you. Finally, you thought, the sound of his spurs was starting to annoy you.

“Ya know if you keep starving yourself, the old man is gonna snap you like a twig when you become an agent.” He lit a cigar as the cold air blew the smoke away from you, though the warmth of him sitting next to you was oddly relaxing in the cold.

“You’re one to lecture me about my health when you smoke more than a Victorian chimney.” You smiled as for once, you wanted McCree’s company rather than outright telling him to find someone else to bother.

“Pfft, hey some Victorian houses are still standing, guess if I smoke as much as they do then maybe I’ll live to 250 years too.” You laughed at how ridiculous his logic was. “That’s the first time I’ve made you laugh. This day’ll go down in history, wait till I tell the old man he’ll pop a blood vessel.” If you were chuckling before, you were both in hysterics now. 

“A bottle of whiskey each month and I’ll make him hallucinate naked women everywhere he goes for a day each month.” Your sour mood was instantly lifted as both you and McCree discussed ways to annoy and tease Gabe. 

“So what is it about the Commander that’s got you all riled up.” the colour of your cheeks instantly turned red, and not from the cold, as the cowboy laughed at your instant transformation. 

“What’s so fucking funny, cowboy?” Punching his shoulder you returned to laughing as a rude awakening dawned on both of you. And that rude awakening was called Sergeant Riverra, otherwise known as Riv, and the person in charge of the trainees. 

“What the hell are you doing up here Agent McCree? And you, trainee, you’re meant to be at the trainee dinner today.”

“I see you’re as uptight as ever Riv, we’re just catchin up. Let the little birdy go, she ain’t hungry.” 

“Jesse, you’re meant to be in the Blackwatch area in the first place, why are you even here with my recruits?”

“Commander ordered me to keep an eye on her, just doin my job sweet pea.” That caught your attention.

“Cowboy, what the fuck do you mean he ordered you to keep an eye on me?” Now it was a two versus one as McCree felt both people address him with anger and fury. 

“Woah woah easy there darlin, he asked me to check in with you every day, not to babysit. I’m just doin my job, give a guy a break.” Before you could chew McCree out for being Gabe’s personal errand boy, Riv took his cigar and crushed it between his fingers. 

“ That’s enough McCree. You’re dismissed. As for you trainee, you’re on cleaning duty for this week and if I catch you up here again, it’ll be a month.” You hated the rigid and uptight rules you had to uphold. You were a bird in a cage, tagged and told when you can and can’t fly.

“Understood Sergeant.” you left Cree to deal with his matters with Riv as you left for your room. You wanted nothing more than to sleep the stress of the day away. 

“Keep an eye on her Riv, she was the one that caused the incident a few months ago that shut down the base for a week. I’ve seen what she can do for fun, but I’m scared to know what she can do when she is told to kill.” Despite the order to leave, Jesse stayed to chat with Riv. They were both once criminals, though Riv was merely a petty thief who had changed his ways.

“I know. I was informed when the new trainees came in that Wren was especially dangerous. Even Commander Morrison insisted that he knew when her practice battles were so he could have the Captain ready to tranquilise her should it come to that.”

“Do you think she will be that reckless with other people’s lives?”

“Only time will tell.” 

****

People started gathering as soon as you returned to the shared room after your shower. It was just Taro in the room as you saw her sharpening a blade in her lap. It looked like a westernized version of a katana blade, curved in a similar shape but with a rapier style handle and you assumed a much lighter metal to make it possible to wield it with one hand. 

“It was my father’s.” She explained after she noticed you staring. “He was part of the first Overwatch strike team that was ever assembled along with Morrison, Amari and Reyes. But he died. He collected weapons and this was one of the ones he handed down to me… I’ve been training with it for years.” You felt her sorrow but also the determination she held was something you couldn’t quite comprehend nor ever match. 

“I’m sorry for your loss… Is that why you joined Overwatch?” Your curiosity got the better of you. So much for minimal socialising.

“Yes and no. I wanted to learn how to wield it properly, to honour my father and to pass it further down to my children and their children thereafter. I don’t want my dad’s legacy to ever be forgotten.” Tears started to prick at her eyes as she sheathed the blade and laid it under her pillow. 

“That’s admirable. I wish you all the best in your endeavours.”

“What about you, disaster girl. Why did you suddenly decide to come out of protection and into training?” Looks like your curiosity really backfired on you as Taro decided your question was a good enough reason to delve further into your life. 

“Why do you think that a bird flies?” She looked at you in confusion.

“What’s that got to do with anything? If you didn’t want to answer me then you could have just said.” She walked out of the room with a towel in hand as Jo just entered the room with a plastic bag of something in her hand.

“There you are Wren, ya weren’t at dinner so I brought ya some leftovers.” Her happy go lucky attitude and tone of voice frightened you, but she didn’t seem malicious in any way. 

“Erm thank you… but I’m not hungry. You can eat it if you’d like, or share them.” 

“Aw come on, if you don’t eat you’ll get your ass beaten in the hand to hand combat training tomorrow.” She lifted the plastic bag to your face as you decided to ignore her and just go to bed. Even with the loud noise, you tune it all out and remember a garden, with your mother’s voice singing in the distance.

****

“Y/N wake up, quickly wake up, hurry we need to go. Hurry.” Screaming. Suffocating. Heat. Rubble. Silence. Darkness.

****

You woke the next morning with sweaty palms and heavy breathing plaguing you. The nightmare was so vague and unclear but your body feels like it was impacted more heavily than you were expecting. Looking around, the others seemed to be asleep as you strolled out in your standard issue uniform onto the roof again to watch the dark early morning sky. It's been 7 months since you met Gabe, and 5 months since you arrived but despite the time you have spent here, it doesn’t seem like home. It’s a cage. You had no choice but to learn to live here, but that doesn’t mean that you’re satisfied, because no matter how large of a cage it may be, it is still a cage and its purpose is the same. 

_ You're gon' have to chain me up _

_ You're gon' to have to lock me down _

_ You're gon' have to straitjacket me, straitjacket me (Oh-oh) _

_ Straitjacket me, straitjacket me _

_ You're gon' have to break my heart _

_ You're gon' have to steal my soul (Oh-oh) _

_ Straitjacket me, straitjacket me _

You were hyper aware of your surroundings, so you didn’t want to sing for long. The night air was quiet but Talon assassins were quieter as you descended down to the barracks once more. 

“I told you before recruit, no climbing on the rooftops or you get cleaning duty for a month.” Riv was already there waiting to lecture you on your disobedience but you didn’t care. You were here to learn how to fly, not to be trained. 

“Guess I’ll get my broom ready, Sergeant.” before you could return to your room, Riv stopped you.

“You understand that I cannot let you use your voice against the other recruits. From now on, you’re living as a regular citizen among them. Don’t stand out.” Riv’s comments infuriated you, but he was right. 

“Don’t forget, I am not here to be a soldier, I am here to be free.”

“Freedom isn’t free child.” Riv let you go but his words struck with you. Freedom isn’t something you can get by being here. Freedom isn’t running away from your problems. Freedom isn’t being used as a tool, whether by Overwatch or by Talon. But then, what is your freedom? 

****

“Today we will be going over the basics of hand to hand combat. I will be teaching you some techniques to immobilize your opponents and I expect you all to partner up and try these techniques on one another. Remember to stay level headed and do not let your emotions get to you during the actual fight.” Riv went about demonstrating different techniques as well as some of the basics of fighting. Taro had been assigned to be your partner and you could already tell she was fully serious. Like a trained hawk. 

“Remember to stay level headed birdy. Don’t want you to get hurt.” And with that she attacked, you quickly dodged out of the way and hit between her shoulders to try and down her but her reactions were faster and she countered you, sending you to the floor and leaving Riv unimpressed.

“I understand you are quite advanced in hand to hand recruit, but there is no reason to go all out on your opponent this early in the programme. Practise some self restraint.” Meanwhile, you wanted to sing. You wanted to wipe the floor with her. The feeling of powerlessness came back and you wanted nothing to do with it.

“Again.” you muttered.

“Enough. Break it up you two and focus on your form.” 

“I said again.” You spoke through gritted teeth as Taro smiled.

“Who am I to deny a birdy her wish?” She got ready but this time you knew what to do. You attempted the same trick, but when she went to grab you to fling you to the mat again, you grabbed her arm and stopped her mid attack. You heard a bone chilling crunch. Screams.

“Wren that’s enough!” you were pulled away from the fight as Taro lay on the mat, her arm twisting in the wrong direction and almost certainly broken. “Get Taro to the med bay immediately. Wren, come with me.” 

You weren’t quite sure how you got the strength you did. You didn’t sing and you don’t remember moving after gripping her arm. Just screaming. 

“Wren I told you not to get carried away, what were you thinking?” Riv sounded more angry as a friend than a Sergeant, but you knew you weren’t getting out of this one easily.

“I don’t know what happened I… I remember grabbing her arm when she tried to counter me but… I didn’t… I didn’t move afterwards, I just heard screaming.”

“Listen Wren, you’re special. According to your medical reports, a small amount of steroidic serum was injected into you. Since it’s largely concentrated around your throat we assume it was Vishkar.” 

“How do you know about my past?” Now it was your turn to be angry.

“Commander Reyes let us know due to the liability it can cause to the safety of the soldiers here. Dr Ziegler performed multiple tests on you and the serum was similar to that of the SEP programme, though you were injected with a smaller dose due to your escape. It seems it was dormant in you until the paralytic that was injected into you agitated the serum, creating a change in your DNA structure. It is slowly replacing your cells and hence your strength is increasing. That is why you need to keep a level head, because if you lose your anger like that again, who knows how many might be harmed. Some even killed.” You didn’t trust Riv much, but what he is saying would make sense. Why it felt like liquid fire was constantly being injected into you in that forsaken lab. Why you were able to increase your strength so much through your singing. Why you broke someone’s arm with one hand. “Until you learn to control your emotions, I’m placing you under direct supervision. You will be placed in solitary and your training will be directly with a high ranking officer until you complete your training. I do not want you to kill the recruits before they even finish their training.” Confinement. You were a prisoner here after all. 

“When a bird tries to escape the cage, their wings are clipped to prevent a repeat until they are fully trained.” You muttered to yourself as you were led into your new home for the third time.

****

A month had passed. The room you were in wasn’t so bad but it was still a prison. McCree, true to his word, visited you every day to check up on you, though with the cameras he couldn’t smoke nor bring a bottle of whiskey for you to share. You found him to be surprisingly good company in your gloomy days though, and you shared a lot in common despite your differences. He too was like you, joining Overwatch solely because he had no other option to be free. Helping people was merely a side effect of what he does and he was somehow okay with being the organisations dog if it meant he wasn’t locked up in a prison cell for the rest of his life. Apparently Reyes picked him up after a fight with the Deadlock gang and found his aim and steadfast attitude to helping those less fortunate admirable. Despite his bad habit to flirt with women, the man was incredible and you couldn’t argue that.

Your training was mostly with Captain Amari when she wasn’t away on missions, or Commander Morrison when he was available for hand to hand. Another incident hasn’t occurred yet but you were being cautious, would that caution continue even onto the battlefield? Will you have to hold yourself back all your life in order to not hurt those around you? Along with the basic training, you spent a lot of time with Angela and that had helped you find out some basic first aid and medical tips. She was slowly teaching you how her technology works and you wondered if maybe one day you could also be a valkyrie, helping those around you and giving people the chance to fly again even when their wings are about to fall off and they’re on the brink of death.

This particular day drained you immensely. Hand to hand combat with Morrison was rough at the best of times, but today was downright brutal as Angela tended to your wounds and bruises.

“You know, I don’t think I have ever seen Jack use his full strength before today. You’re quite incredible to be able to keep up with him.” Angela began applying biotic paste to your shoulders and arms to minimise the bruising that was already beginning to form. 

“And yet, I’m still scared to go all out.” Angela sighed at your comment.

“Don’t be. Jack is training with you solely because he can take that kind of damage without getting hurt. I’m sure Commander Reyes has already told you but-”

“He was in the SEP programme. I know.” You interrupted. “But I can’t shake the feeling that I will once again hurt someone unintentionally. Before it was because Talon was after me, but now… I don’t want to be the monster that Talon wants me to be.” Angela looked at you with a pitying glance.

“But you know, you have the same strength as them running in your veins. It’s you who decides what to do with it, Wren.” She suddenly perked up. “Oh that reminds me, Christmas is coming up soon. Unfortunately Commander Reyes won’t be back by then, and I’ll be going to Switzerland to sanitize and prepare the facilities there in order to move, but.” You blushed as she mentioned Gabe. You hated that you reacted every time his name was mentioned, but at this point everyone you know on base knows about your little crush. Angela left the room and came back to present you with a giant box. “Merry Christmas Wren.” Angela’s warm smile was something you weren’t accustomed to seeing but it made you feel loved. “Reyes sent you a gift, plus me and a couple others decided to pitch in some gifts. This is for you, I hope you enjoy it.” You took the massive box from Angela as you began to unwrap the insides. Delicately placed on top was a letter to you from Gabe as underneath it you saw a christmas sweater, some swiss chocolates, a tin of english breakfast tea and a bottle of whiskey,

“Erm, Angela?”

“Yes?”

“How did you manage to smuggle whiskey into solitary?” 

“I have my ways.” She smiled as you pulled the bottle out from the bottom of the box, only to find several more cards at the bottom, each from one of your friends. Tears pricked at your eyes looking at the generous spread.

“Thank you, I don’t know what to say.” A brilliant idea struck your mind. “Angela, would you let me sing for you?” Her shock was understandable, it wasn’t something you normally did.

“Sure, but why?” 

“I want you to know how grateful I am to you and everyone else. I know they aren’t here but…”

“Go on.” Angela smiled once again as your happiness came back. She was worried that you were beginning to enter another spat of depression, especially since you never feel truly welcome here.

_ There is no other one that can take your place _

_ I feel happy inside when I see your face _

_ I hope you believe me _

_ Because I speak sincerely _

_ and I mean it when I tell you I need you _

You took Angela’s hand as you started clumsily dancing around the room. Your voice was in siren mode but you wanted to have a good time. Even if Angela was the only one you could see for Christmas, and even though you were in solitary, it looks like your days can only go up from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs:  
Panic! at the Disco - Turn off the Lights  
Bohnes - Straitjacket  
Weezer - My Best Friend


	9. Chapter 9

You landed on your back again. Even with 2 months practice, you still couldn’t best Morrison.

“Quit holding back, it’s beginning to irritate me.” Morrison wasn’t known for his honesty, but for once you couldn’t argue. You were holding back.

“Isn’t the whole point that I learn how to fight without using my voice?” your breathing was hard as you got up once again, the commander refusing to end the training session until you beat him in hand to hand at least once.

“There is no fair fight on the battlefield, either you give it your all or you die.” Without so much as a warning, Morrison lunged at you once more with the intent to ground you again. You were prepared, it was the third time he did the same move and you were beginning to wonder if he even knew how predictable he was becoming. The fight wasn’t a case of skill but of stamina by now, though you knew you couldn’t outlast a super soldier without your voice. Amidst the chaos, you tried to seize the opportunity to flick your siren voice on. You stopped to catch your breath as Morrison threw a punch towards your gut. Your hand gripped his fist.

_ We've gone way too fast for way too long _

_ And we were never supposed to make it half this far _

You felt it again. You were gonna lose control if this kept up. Still your grip got tighter as he threw another punch with his other arm aimed at your right side. 

_ And I lived so much life, lived so much life _

_ I think that God is gonna have to kill me twice _

Dodged. Pushing back his entire body you danced around him as your body began to feel the effects of the song.

_ Kill me twice like my name was Nikki Sixx _

_ I woke up in my shoes again but somewhere you exist, singing _

_ Oops I did it again, I _

_ Forgot what I was losing my mind about _

The world moved at a blur as your feet moved of their own accord, Morrison was still unfazed even after the countless hours spent training, but you were beginning to have enough.

_ I only wrote this down to make you press rewind _

_ And send a message, "I was young and a menace" _

You threw a punch to his side, staggering him as his reactions weren’t faster than your punches by now. The dam broke and your mind was let loose once more. The control you had vanished as you bombarded Morrison with an endless barrage of punches and kicks, the techniques you spent the last two months learning all ingrained in your actions even if your mind was a blur. He was taking hits, but he still managed to block a majority of your punches before you began running out of breath once more. 

_ Woke up on the wrong side of reality _

_ And there's a madness that's just coursing right through me _

_ And as far as the time, far as the time _

_ Not sure I'm there yet but I'm certain I've arrived _

He wasn’t about to give you a break as you stopped, but you weren’t going to let him stop you. A clash of ideals, a clash of two powers, you held his fists in a death grip after stopping his punches once more. 

_ Oops I, did it again, I _

_ Forgot what I was losing my mind about _

_ I only wrote this down to make you press rewind _

_ And send a message, "I was young and a menace" _

Your mind was far gone. You weren’t out to stop him from taking you down anymore, you were out for blood, your hands moving to try and crack a bone, to harm, to kill. But Morrison still had the upper hand, even if you managed to get him to start breathing heavily as you both took a step back from each other to assess what was happening, words still leaving your mouth as you continued to sing your madness away.

_ I'm just here flying off the deep end _

_ I'm just here to become the best yet _

_ I'm just here for the psych assessment _

_ I'm just here for the, for the _

Your singing ended abruptly as a tranquilizer dart was embedded into your arm. Amari was watching from the sidelines and assessed how dangerous the situation was becoming and decided to end the session.

****

You woke up back in your room, though more a prison cell than a home as you tried to remember what happened. Reaching behind your neck, you felt for the switch for your voice and turned it off as the pounding pain in your muscles made you wish you hadn’t moved at all. Even if you did have the same serum in your veins as Morrison, you were still no match for his form and skill level, at full strength or otherwise, your voice was the only reason you were still alive.

“How are you feeling, Wren?” medkit in one arm and a tray of food in the other, Morrison entered your room with scratches and bruises on his face and arms, though you weren’t sure which were caused by you and which were prior injuries. “Do you remember anything that happened prior to Amari tranquilizing you?” He began to look you over for injuries.

“Vaguely. I remember I started singing and lost control bu-”

“You cracked a concrete pillar with your bare hands.” Morrison interrupted. “During your loss of control, you punched one of the pillars suspending the communications tower next to the training area. It’s being repaired right now. You broke 4 bones in your hand and sustained a wound across your fist… And all of those healed within a few hours with minimal assistance from medical staff.” You examined your fist in shock before realising Morrison was right. There was a light scar across your fist and a numb sensation but otherwise, it was as if your hand was never broken.

“I… I don’t understand.” Your voice was hoarse from overuse.

“The SEP serum in your veins is causing this. The cells that the serum has affected have been multiplying rapidly since it was activated so for a time, your body will heal at a substantially increased rate.” Morrison explained as you were still looking at your hand, bewildered at what happened. “I cannot have you losing your composure like that during training. You may have recovered thanks to the serum but what would happen if you lost it in the field? How many would die because of your lack of composure, friend and foe?” Morrisons rage was justified, your emotions were a mess and without any control over them, you can’t stop yourself nor your voice from causing serious harm.

“Then what do you suggest, Commander.” It was your turn to unleash your wrath. “Emotion is all I know. Destruction and pain is all I have ever known. I am not here out of some self righteous justice that keeps me going. Give me a reason to remain composed. Give me a reason as to why!” Your throat hurt, you were exhausted and the last thing you needed was a lecture from Morrison.

“If you are unable to control your emotions then quit training while you can. This isn’t a game and you are not the only one who wants to fight, whatever the reason. You have barely made any progress and without your voice, you cannot compete with the other trainees, let alone the other agents. If you want your reason then find it, I am not Reyes, I will not babysit you and protect you from the world, I need soldiers who are willing to fight and understand the consequences of their actions and you are currently unable to do either. If it were up to me, you would be locked in quarantine and unable to leave so that Talon would not be able to use you as a weapon but Reyes convinced me to give you a chance and I have given it to you. If you continue to selfishly refuse our help then I will have no choice but to do just that.” Morrison’s lecture hit home. There were only 2 ways in which Overwatch would allow you to stay, either as a soldier… or a prisoner. “You have 3 months of training left. If no progress is made, I will see to it that you are housed in a secure facility until Talon are no longer a threat or for the rest of your life, whichever comes first. Don’t take this warning lightly.”

With that, Morrison left you to ponder your current situation. Your emotions were getting the better of you whenever you got backed into a corner and you couldn’t deny that what Morrison said was true, you were being selfish in your goals, but that didn’t mean that you were about to become another one of his soldiers who dies for the sake of his ideals. In your worry riddled state, you collapsed back onto your bed right before Captain Amari entered your room with tea in hand. 

“I hope I didn’t come at a bad time, I saw Jack leaving here a moment ago.” Ana’s voice was comforting to hear after Morrison’s evisceration of your mental state.

“Not at all, I have too much on my mind right now, I could use the distraction.” you sat up with a sombre smile on your lips.

“About what happened… I agree with Jack that you need to learn to control yourself, not just so you can be a soldier but so that you do not panic in high risk situations. I understand you do not wish to be a part of Overwatch in the same way as others do and that the duty is daunting, but please take our advice seriously because it may save your life.” Ana began pouring out tea for the both of you as you realised what she said is entirely correct. Even if you were to leave by force, you would need to learn to be methodical rather than emotional as you are now. 

“What is your reason for fighting, Ana?” 

“I have a daughter and a family I wish to protect. Each person I kill is a wound on my soul, but I do not do it because I can, but because I must.” She looked into her cup of tea in sorrow and you could tell it weighed heavily on her heart. In that moment, it was as if you were looking into a mirror at your future self. If you were to survive in a world where Vishkar and Talon want you under their command, you were forced to fight that fate.

“What does Overwatch plan for me even if I do complete the training though?” You pleaded for Ana to give a clear answer.

“I do not know…”

******

You landed on your back again for the fifth time that training session as Morrison kept dodging all your attempts to ground him. You weren’t holding back your force this time, but you were trying to keep an even, steady breathing pattern as you got up and dodged a hook from him. 

“Looks like my words to you last week really struck a nerve huh.” The nonchalant tone to his voice made anger bubble inside you again. This was just a game to him and he wasn’t even trying, yet he still constantly managed to outwit you at every hurdle. 

“You say that as if anything has changed.” You tried to keep a level head as you observed his movements and noticed his balance shift a split second before he lunged towards you, his fist aimed at your gut. Although noticing the motion, you couldn’t react fast enough to completely dodge and your side was struck, another bruise to cover up. Even if you noticed his motions and technique, Morrison was still able to react faster to anything you could throw at him. An idea struck you.

“Commander, will you permit me to use my voice?” Since Ana was away, you didn’t want to incur the Commanders wrath if you lost control. But that wasn’t your goal this time. 

“Permission granted, if you can even turn it on.” Morrison’s assault became faster and without the ability to dodge his punches, all you could do was block for long enough to find an opening when you could reach behind your neck. As your arms began to ache from the bruising barrage that Morrison was subjecting you to, you realised his stance was rooted to the ground, his centre of gravity stable, but you could take advantage of it. You quickly ducked and slid your leg under his to throw off his balance. Naturally, he dodged the attempt but not before laying off his assault and giving you a short window to reach for your voice switch and activate it. 

_ I don't like being alone _

_ Run up these streets _

_ Turn up the stereo _

_ Synthetic animals like me never have a home _

You kept your cool as Morrison once again effortlessly lunged towards you, this time with a feint towards your face followed by his knee attempting to connect to your abdomen. He never got that far as you effortlessly moved out of the way, the song causing an adrenaline rush within you, making you feel nimble and energetic despite the 3 hours of gruelling training that you have had to go through. 

_ Don't need the system _

_ We can leave it if we try _

_ Shoot up everything we see _

_ And we'll find it on the wall _

_ I hope you die _

This time it was your turn to fight back. You maneuvered behind him as a sharp impact between his shoulder blades sent the Commander stumbling forward in a daze.

_ Manipulation _

_ Just to form an alibi _

_ You're the one that's right for me _

_ And if heaven wants to take us they can try _

You gave him no recovery time as you managed to grab his arms and secure them behind his back before he could react. Within a minute the Commander went from being arrogant about his own abilities, to admitting defeat on the mat of the training room. He tapped thrice signalling his surrender as you got up and returned your voice to normal.

“Well done, you managed to keep your composure under assault and found an opportune moment to gain an advantage. It seems you have learned something since last week.” His patronising tone angered you but you decided to let it be and accept his words for what they were, a shrewd attempt at a compliment. 

“Does this mean I still have a chance to complete my training?” You pleaded to Morrison the day after your loss of composure to let you continue training and take the final recruitment test at the end but his position didn’t change, only if you passed training would you be able to take the recruitment test.

“There’s a chance recruit. You’re dismissed.”

***

Morrison knew that you already were far more capable than a majority of agents in active duty, most of them merely joining to either seek revenge or to protect their loved ones. However, your power is what made him hesitate. The kind of strength that you have at your disposal was something he nearly died to obtain, even then the stress his body went through during the SEP programme had traumatised him for a time. Having Vishkar make you into a biological weapon was troubling enough, but trying to force you into becoming a weapon for Overwatch? Despite the insistence from Director Petras and multiple higher-ups, he was still reluctant. Letting you live out the rest of your life in a prison cell seemed like the safest option, both for you and for Overwatch. For the first time in his life, Commander Morrison cried tears of pity. 

***

Returning to your quarantine cell, you were greeted by a welcoming mob and a makeshift picnic on the floor of your living quarters. McCree’s arm found its way around your shoulder as a boisterous and slightly obnoxious voice startled you.

“Happy Valentine’s day, or as we like to call it, Single-tines day.” You could smell that he had already been drinking, and quite heavily at that, as all it took to throw off his balance was a light shove to the side. Angela and Ana were sat on cushions around the picnic basket that they brought, with various snack foods and beverages already being pulled out.

“Looks like the cowboy already needs to be sent home.” Ana remarked as she poured herself a hot cup of tea from a thermos flask she brought with her. Ana’s tea addiction was a blessing whenever she visited as the room would lose its stench of sweat in favour of a more herbal aroma, relaxing your tense state instantaneously. 

“We came to visit you since you’ve been spending most of your time alone. Ana just got back an hour ago in time for our little picnic, even if we aren’t outside. As you can see, Jesse is already in full party mode.” Angela remarked as she pointed to a slumped over McCree taking another gulp of whiskey from an already half full bottle. “Anyway, how was training?”

“If things are gonna continue the way they are, my entire body is going to be purple from bruising.” With the initial adrenaline rush of beating Morrison once in hand to hand settling in, you were starting to feel the aftereffects of three hours training, your body turning into jelly as you collapsed on your bed wincing in pain but finally relieved to be able to rest.

“Good thing I brought biotic gel and a first aid kit then.” as Angela began tending to your wounds, your mind began to wonder to Gabe once more. He was still away for another month, missions and the new Overwatch base taking up most of his time, but you wished you could at least confide in him. Despite Angela, Jesse and Ana being great company, Gabe was still the only person you trusted as if he were family, and even though his letters were comforting, all you really wanted right now was for his reassurance when you were being mentally backed into a corner by Morrison. During your reverie, Angela finally finished dressing your wounds, combined with the serum effects, they disappeared almost immediately.

“The serum seems to still be affecting your cells quite heavily, try not to overwork yourself even if the Commander is forcing you to. It’s ok to admit defeat sometimes.” Angela’s words were meant to be reassuring, but under your circumstances, it didn’t apply. It was either win to gain some freedom or lose everything. You wanted to be left alone more than anything right now, your emotions starting to bubble and boil under your skin, begging to be let free in any form, destructive or otherwise.

“I can’t.” apathy was the only substitute for how you felt. Apathy meant you didn’t have to let everyone in the room know that you were about to explode. “Thank you for trying to comfort me Angela, but my problems run far deeper than simply training or becoming an active agent, I have no margin for error anymore and all I can do is fight, or die trying.” 

The reality of the situation hit everyone in the room all at once. You were right. There was no peaceful life waiting for you, only blood, misery and murder. The expression on Ana’s face was one of sorrow and understanding because she knew that desperation long before you came to the base, the kind that haunts you day and night, forcing your hand to take the lives of others with that same reason driving them to their wits end. Jesse on the other hand, was less than empathetic towards your cause.

“You think you’re the only one who has a moral grey area, sweetheart.” Despite his previous behaviour, McCree seemed to be semi-sober. “None of us here are happy to be here, we all have no margin for error because if we slip up, we are dead. But that doesn’t mean we can go about living peaceful lives and ignoring the world. Ana is here to protect her family, I’m here so I wouldn’t be rotting in jail, Angela joined to help those in need, to follow her parents legacy. We all chose to fight and right now, you’re choosing to run from the reality that is happening all around you.” And with that, he went back to sitting against the wall taking occasional gulps of his whiskey. Even though his language was particularly crude, you couldn’t deny that he was right in his statement. You were looking for a way to run from your problems, you always have, but now that you’re backed into a corner that’s no longer an option. Gabe lost his family because he wasn’t able to protect them, Angela lost her’s during the omnic crisis…

“Jesse, what happened that made you join Deadlock?” Your curiosity got the better of you, and judging by McCree’s reaction, you weren’t expecting an answer either.

“I was sold to a farm owner during the omnic crisis. A lot of us that lived near the omniums ended up orphaned while our parents died to protect us, my parents weren’t. They sold me to a rich farm owner for a hundred bucks so they wouldn’t starve. He had a lavish mansion and all but he treated us like dirt. I was one of ten boys and the oldest one there. Most of them had no idea what happened, one was as young as five, the others between seven and nine. I was fifteen. I tried to protect them but all that did was fuel the overgrown pig’s anger towards me. I started learning to shoot rocks with a makeshift slingshot so that I could buy enough time for me and the rest of them to escape, but that’s when Ashe showed up. She was the daughter of the owner of the estate next door, mind you next door was around a mile away. One day, her omnic butler and her came into the estate for a supposed dinner with the owner, however when the owner came out to greet her, she shot him in the head and took all ten of us in to start a gang of sorts. For a while, people considered us the deadliest couple in the south, but after a while, I grew skeptical of her Robin Hood rhetoric, and that’s when I ratted them out to Overwatch. Ashe escaped but with half the gang in jail now, she’s got nothing.”

McCree’s sentimental story gave you some clarity to your situation. No one here is fighting because they want to, after all a bird must fly because if it cannot, then it is no bird at all. Even as the wind blows against them, the people in front of you chose to fight the hand that fate had given them, and now you were nothing more than a victim to fate’s cruel game. 

“Tragedies happen all too often in this world, but that doesn’t mean you should die a martyr in order to resolve them.” Ana finally perked up after observing the events unfold in front of her. “You want to have freedom, correct? Then fight for it.” 

That day, you went to sleep with a clearer conscience than you have had for years. Your decision was made and you would not let anything break you ever again. Not Morrison. Not Talon. Not the world. This time, you were choosing to fight back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs used:  
Fall Out Boy - Young and Menace  
My Chemical Romance - Zero Percent


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of this chapter, I have someone looking over my entire fanfiction and slowly editing it. Hence, I will be adding the edited chapters in over time. So far, Chapter 1 has been fully edited. That said, it is still an in progress creation so please be kind. Songs will be at the end of the chapter as per usual.

The months passed faster than you had expected. Gabe’s letters gave you hope that even if you failed the examination, he would make sure Morrison would never get his way. Not that it mattered. You weren’t about to give up when you have come so far, nor are you going to fail. Arms training went the smoothest out of all the programmes you had to get through, with McCree and Ana being your tutors. By the end of it all, you didn’t even have to use your voice to beat the damn cowboy in a shootoff, you could do it with your eyes closed and still manage to give him a run for his money. According to Angela, the SEP serum was now fully ingrained in you hence you didn’t have to worry about uncontrollable strength. You were promised that if you had completed the final agent examination that you would be able to become an active agent and finally associate with the others after months of isolation. 

Breathing in the morning air deeply, you stepped out of the quarantine room for the last time, the cool spring air refreshing your senses. You would get time to look around the base for once after you got your active agent status, however, right now your only destination was the virtual reality training room. 

“Welcome, prospective agents. I commend you on getting through the demanding training that we have put you through over the last six months.” Morrison’s voice boomed within the room, even without voice amplification, while he addressed the forty or so remaining trainees. “This shall be your final test to determine which of you are fit for active duty. As you know, training against your fellow recruits in an enclosed environment is a good way to get used to the basics, however that is not what our missions are truly like. In order to ensure you are capable of adapting to different environments we have gathered you here in this virtual reality room. The virtual reality training room was developed to simulate real situations in which you may find yourselves in the future. These are all randomised. In addition, in order to be able to assess your reaction in high risk situations, you shall be going in alone and there will be current agents testing your skills within the simulation as well. They shall be your enemies.  
Your objective is to complete your mission before they can capture or immobilize you. Do not worry, as this is a test, we will be using rubber bullets and you shall be fully equipped with the standard issue armour that all our agents use. However, some minor injuries are possible. We shall brief you on your mission before you enter. I wish you the best of luck.” With that, we were dispersed once more and given a number, and told to wait until we are called forward. Glancing around through the crowd, you were hoping that at least McCree or Angela came to wish you luck, but all you saw were indifferent expressions among strangers. All but the one coming your way.

“So you weren’t kicked out of the programme.” Taro spoke up, emerging from the crowd in front of you. “I’d be pissed if you were, fucked up my arm damn good.” The fact that she laughed off the incident made you feel slightly more relieved. You would not want her sword pointed at your throat.

“How’s your arm? I didn’t think you’d be here considering what I did.” 

“Relax birdy, I already knew half the basics from training before, last time I just failed the final examination. So I managed to convince them to let me take it again after my arm healed. What about you? Rumours were saying you were kicked out or jailed.” Taro didn’t seem to hold a grudge against you despite what happened and in truth, you were thankful she didn’t. Despite how you two met, she was probably the only recruit that you felt a sense of comfort around. 

“I was training alone for a while, turns out I’m not exactly normal.” You tried to pass off your remark as a joke and thankfully, Taro laughed.

“You could say that again, disaster birdy. But you know, none of us here are normal, I think that’s why we are all here in the first place.” She looked around to the crowd of faces surrounding the both of you. “We all believe that we are extraordinary and that we can change the world, even if it means we are all disasters in our own right.”

“I’m truly sorry about what I did that day, and thank you for giving me another chance.” You smiled, holding out your hand. Taro grasped it firmly.

“Now lets both change this world. Together.” 

***

You sat with Taro the entire time, hearing stories of what happened to the other recruits. You could feel that she was nervous even if she was sitting there recalling stories from the last six months, her sword being her only comfort as her number drew closer and closer.

“So tell me, birdy, what weapon are you most comfortable with.” Taro asked.

“Dual bayonets.” Your answer got a puzzled expression out of her.

“Dual? How would that even work?” 

“Well… I guess it would be easier to show than tell right?” You pulled out the custom made guns from your sides. The blades were angled downwards, creating a curved blade aimed towards the floor as you held the pistol attached up. The guns were both old revolver’s that McCree had no use for, altered slightly to carry more ammunition; and with the hard light blade modifications being added by Torbjorn, a colourful character you didn’t get to meet while in solitary, but heard stories from Angela after she came back to present the weapons to you. Seemed like a fun character who you will definitely thank later.

“Woah, those are some fancy ass weapons, I’m jealous. You’ll definitely have to tell me how you made them, or who made them.” Taro’s nervousness became excitement as she examined the guns in your hands. You were a good shot sure, but your strength couldn’t really be transferred into a bullet, which is why you asked for the custom blades from Morrison, which he luckily approved. 

“Number 34. Please make your way to room 502” Athena’s voice boomed above the chatter of the lobby room as Taro hoisted her katana onto her waist.

“See ya birdy, I hope we meet again.” 

“Best of luck, Taro.” You smiled at her as she faded into the crowd and headed towards the briefing room. Spending time with Taro made you realise how much you treasured the friendships you had made here. Even though you were opposed to being here at first, there was nothing you vehemently disliked anymore. Perhaps Overwatch had already trained you to be their soldier. Besides your reservations about the organisation, you could not deny that it truly was a community, a place where you could feel safe.

“Number 36, Please make your way to room 508.” Before you knew it, 2 hours had passed since Taro left you and Athena was calling for you to go to your briefing. Clutching the two bayonet revolvers at either side of your waist, you took a deep breath and tried to calm your nerves as you made your way down hallways of offices towards 508. 

“Come in.” The voice that answered your knock was Morrison. You were slightly baffled as you were under the impression that Riv or one of the other sergeants were in charge of briefing trainees for their examination, but you weren’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth. “I hope you aren’t too startled that I am the one to give your briefing but I figured it’s only fitting considering most of your training was conducted by me and Captain Amari.”

“Not at all.”

“Good. Now about your training mission.” Morrison wasted no time with idle chit chat. “Your objective is to find three packages from within Deadlock Gorge and defuse the bombs that are inside. As these are bombs, you will be working with a thirty minute time limit. In addition, there will be roughly thirty agents trying to stop you from completing your task. The locations of the bombs are within The Panorama Diner, Big Earl’s gas station and The High Side saloon. Any questions?” This was madness, you thought to yourself. How on earth were you meant to complete a mission like that within thirty minutes, and by yourself at that.

“Sir, with all due respect, this seems like a mission fit for a strike team rather than a singular person.” Your comment was met with sympathy.

“That’s because it is a strike team mission. Director Petras wanted to test your skill to its fullest to see if you are capable of not only joining Overwatch, but as per Reyes’ recommendation, Blackwatch.” The fact that Gabe not only knew about the mission you’re about to go through, but was part of the reason why it was next to impossible aggravated you.

“And if I fail?” part of you didn’t want to hear the answer to that question.

“It is as I said before. For the safety of everyone here, and yourself, you will be placed in military protection.” So no pressure then, you were about to lose it already as you nearly laughed at how absurd your odds were. And to top it off, they were stacked against you from the very beginning.

“Very well.” You made up your mind before you even stepped into the briefing room. No matter what the circumstances, you were going to overcome them even if it killed you. You were tired of running.

***

Due to this being a training mission, you were required to wear full protective gear, even if it was a virtual environment. You were suited up in standard issue Overwatch gear, the armour sturdy enough to protect you from a few bullets and bruises, but still light enough so that you wouldn’t be heard sneaking around. Your one issue was the undergarment. The tight fitting shirt you were forced to wear underneath the chest armour squeezed at your neck lightly, making it perfect for cold weather, but not so perfect for activating the siren’s voice.

The virtual reality room itself was a giant hall with a movable floor in order to enable walking in virtual environments, the ceiling was domed and covered in wires with a thin layer of hard light enveloping them. You were told that the agents who will be judging you will appear in the simulation after you had entered and were given five minutes to scout the area. Taking deep breaths, you finally emerged into the cool night air of Deadlock Gorge. Despite being a simulation, the presence of wind and the smell of old tyre rubber and gasoline made it seem like you were really there and nothing about it felt virtual.

As soon as you got time to yourself, the first thing you did was used the blades on your guns to cut open a slit at the top of your skin tight shirt to allow you to reach for your voice should the need arise. Around you was an assortment of weapons crates and ammunition, with five minutes time to arm yourself and prepare for what was about to happen. Loading your revolvers with rubber bullets, you equipped yourself with multiple smoke bombs, as well as a flashbang, two medkits and some spare zipties you found at the bottom of a mostly empty crate. Any more and you would be carrying unnecessary weight.

The area had two main exits, the front door and the mined exit onto the high ground. The high ground would give you a better view of the saloon and allow you to plan your first attack. Morrison was kind enough to give you a thorough runthrough of the area map during your briefing and helped you plan your route. You were to infiltrate the High Side first, defusing the bomb as fast as possible without attracting unwanted attention. Then taking the high road near the mine to position yourself on top of Big Earl’s to scout the area before eliminating any threats and defusing the second bomb. Lastly, The Panorama Diner. The place had very few entry points and even fewer places to hide. Your only hope was that it wasn’t heavily guarded and that you could shoot a couple of them down before sneaking in, your only options for cover being two mining passages, one at the bottom and one at the top. 

You took your time to scout out the interior of the warehouse you were in to assess the exits. Although the front door wasn’t guarded from inside the warehouse, you could hear breathing near the two entrances. In addition, they were locked with security passcodes. If you were to get through, you’d need to disable the security system first. The exit onto the higher mining path didn’t include security, but you were unable to peak out of the exit for fear of getting shot, either by guards on the other side of the doorway, or a sniper from atop the High Side. Using your voice was out of the question, you had no idea how many guards there were positioned and if you attracted attention with your voice, you’d be in for a fight that would last longer than your time limit. Listening intently to any noise, you could hear breathing and shuffling around the main gate. At least two guards were present, one at each side of the main doorway. You didn’t want to risk peaking your head as you grabbed a pebble away from the wall and threw it towards the outhouse near the main entrance. Immediately, you heard the cocking of multiple guns, two standard issue pistols, and one sniper rifle. The fears you had about a shooter on the roof were correct.

In order to create a window for escape, you were gonna need to get creative. You just hoped that your aim was as good as you thought it was. Lining up your smoke bomb with the rooftop, you made sure you were far enough inside cover so you wouldn’t be seen by the sniper. Hurling the smoke bomb, you lifted your revolver waiting for the bomb to arch towards the rooftop before shooting it at the last minute. The roof of the High Side was flooded with smoke as the sniper started frantically trying to reposition. Meanwhile, you had a short window of time to escape the warehouse. You jumped underneath the gangway that led out of the mined entrance and hid behind cover, quickly knocking out the guard at one of the exit doors unconscious and stealing his pass. Never know when it’ll come in handy. The other guard noticed your movement and began shooting, however you were faster and quickly embedded a rubber bullet in his leg, staggering his movement. In that moment, you were able to quickly lunge forward and knock him out cold by hitting the side of his head with the end of your gun, careful not to cut him on your blade. The smoke bomb was close to running out as you heard a shot to your left from the motel rooftop.

Not wanting to end up shot, even if it was by a rubber bullet, you quickly took cover behind the outhouse trying to find an entrance into the saloon from the back. You spotted an entrance at the top of the stairs leading into the second floor of the building. Attempting to be as quick and inconspicuous as possible, you decided to fire a bullet at the sniper’s scope in order to render it useless, making your chances at escape a little higher. Arming yourself once again, you only had one shot in order to render the sniper useless. Rolling towards the cover of the saloon, you took aim as you noticed who the sniper was. Ana Amari was perched on the roof aiming her scope towards you. You had no time to hesitate, you shot at her arm holding the scope steady and landed a hit, her aim being affected as the bullet she shot missed you by a hair.

***

Morrison was watching your attempt from the observation room along with Director Petras. Despite being harsh on you, he still wanted you to succeed. If he was being honest, you were far more clever and capable than most of the trainees he has seen today, especially after being able to assess the situation you were in and create distractions instead of straight away resorting to your voice. You had learned from his harsh words for you, and he was grateful you were a good listener at least.

“She’s quite quick on her feet in tough scenarios. I'm impressed. Did you teach her Morrison?” Petras looked into your mission, staring at you as you rolled out from behind the outhouse to shoot Ana’s hand away from her rifle. 

“I cannot teach her survival instinct, Sir.” 

***

Out of all the agents on base, you had to have Ana Amari trying to snipe you out of your hiding spot. You couldn’t afford the luxury to linger though, quickly making your way to the second floor room of the High Side you began looking around for the bomb. No luck. Peeking underneath the overhang onto the main entrance, you noticed the lights inside were on, and five guards were stationed outside the main entrance. Plus Ana on the roof. Your options were either to take care of the five guards, and who knows how many that would be inside the building, or take care of Ana and try to find an entrance near the motel that is less guarded. Or you could go with the final option which was way more fun.

Reloading your revolvers and turning on your siren voice, you ducked under the overhang, kicking one of the guards square in the face as you began to sing.

_ She's got the devil on one shoulder _

_ And the other's getting colder _

_ She looks so good but it's not nearly _

_ Feeling like it's supposed to _

_ Going sold, going sold _

_ Going, gone _

You landed on top of the poor guy, hoping you didn’t break anything. Quickly you began using your song to craft an illusion for the crowd of fifteen or so soldiers that were surrounding you, weapons aimed to fire. Using the power of your song, you increased your agility as the men began to hallucinate. Darkness began to cloud their vision and the contours of the room became more and more blurry as their aim suffered.

_ Say my name again _

_ Tell me you're caught in the middle _

_ You're caught in the middle _

_ And you're begging for me to stay _

_ Cause every now and then _

_ My love calls like a whistle _

_ It calls like a whistle _

_ And it's blowing your mind again _

You were in control of your voice and the guards surrounding you by now, most of them fleeing or giving up out of fear due to what was happening in their heads. The blades at the ends of your swords were finally seeing some action as you slashed back at their armour. Each guard whose armour you slashed through backed away instantaneously, and before long you were able to rope them all together around a pillar to make sure they didn’t escape. Now your actual mission. Searching the room, you could hear a small beeping coming from within the pool table in the middle. Reluctant to smash it open due to the threats that it may reveal your location to more agents, you used the end of your blades to slice the top plate open, revealing that the pool table itself was a bomb. 

Bomb defusal was not something that got covered extensively during your training, but you do remember if you disable the power pack of the timer, it will halt immediately and stop the detonation. At least that was the case in theory. Some bombs would detonate instantly if their internal timers are destroyed. And you had no way of knowing which bomb was sitting in front of you at this very moment. The only other knowledge you were given about bombs was how to survive an explosion which was pretty useless in a mission where you have to make sure they do not explode. Your voice was useless in this scenario as you couldn’t affect material objects with sound. Examining the bomb once more, you found that it had a card reader to the side next to a number pad. Utilising the stolen key card that you got from the first guard you assaulted, you were greeted with a password authentication screen. Great.

All the guards you had corralled inside the saloon were unconscious, but there was one more person you knew of that had the information you needed. Ana Amari. You had no clue where she was positioned by now, unable to track her movements from inside the saloon. The night offered you some cover in the shadows, however you knew Ana could see you as clear as day with her cybernetic eye. You decided to take your chances and peak out onto the motel rooftop. Sure enough, you were met with a warning shot to your side which you barely managed to move out of the way of. Your only option was to increase your speed so you could get on the same rooftop before she could reposition and disarm her sniper rifle, which would give you an opening to force her to tell you the passcode for the bomb. It was a makeshift plan at best, as you would have to outrun her bullets. Luckily, you had your voice. 

Readying your blades, you hoped that you would be able to climb onto the roof and jump over towards Ana’s perch before she managed to stagger and immobilize you. Mentally mapping out your escape route, you breathed a deep breath of the cold air and started to sing. 

_ Jenny died of suicide _

_ With a candle burnin' in her eye _

_ But on my tombstone when I go _

_ Just put "Death by Rock and Roll" _

Slipping through the entrance, you avoided Ana’s line of sight until you reached the stairs, moving too fast for her to have time to adjust her aim. You heard her attempt to reposition as she lifted up her scope and looked towards the lip of the motel roof in order to jump down. You weren’t going to let her.

_ John forgot what he was on _

_ But he broke the needle, dead and gone _

_ But on my tombstone when I go _

_ Just put "Death by Rock and Roll" _

From the rooftop, you saw her running towards the warehouse entrance, using the same outhouse that you did for cover. You fired a warning shot towards the doors security mechanism, hoping to break it so it would be unresponsive to her entry card. That gave you a chance to jump onto the outhouse exposing her cover.

_ I wanna go with a shotgun blast _

_ I wanna go with a woman on her back _

_ I wanna go with balls, I won't pray _

_ I wanna go with a spiral in my veins _

She was ready for you as she tried to fire a tranquiliser dart into your neck, but you were fast enough to dodge and slice the dart in two, the fluid inside splattering on your armour. You weren’t going to give her time to recover. Just as quickly, you shot her hand with a rubber bullet forcing her to drop her weapon. The rifle clattered to the ground. You grabbed her arms behind her back as you stopped singing and started to force answers out of her.

“What is the passcode to diffuse the bomb?” Your voice was getting hoarse as you began to feel the overexertion in your neck, the implanted device started to burn your flesh from the inside. The cold air was your only solace.

“2536.” The monotony in her tone told you that your voice had worked. You tied her hands with one of the zipties you grabbed earlier, emptying her rifle of ammo before going on your way.

***

Morrison was in shock. In but ten minutes, you managed to beat Ana’s strike team all by yourself. His uncertainty about you kept growing as he realised what he had trained was a force far greater than any agent Overwatch ever had. It excited him. With you at their side, Overwatch could very well bring about an age of world peace and eradicate organised crime across the world. That’s when it dawned on him. The power and intellect you exhibited in just the first ten minutes of your trial terrified him. You were never afraid of Talon or Vishkar. You were afraid of yourself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a sidenote, in case you were wondering what the guns that Wren uses look like, they are inspired by the Dual Guns from .hack//GU
> 
> Songs used (in order of appearance):  
Royal Blood - Hook, Line and Sinker  
The Pretty Reckless - Death by Rock and Roll


End file.
